Once Upon a Thief
by Kawaii Kitsune
Summary: YYH and Saiyuki crossover. The Sanzoikkou have a persistent youko thief on their trail, determined to steal the Maten Scripture for his own reasons.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: _Saiyuki_'s a new obsession of mine. I just thought that it really mixed with _Yu Yu Hakusho_ since Kurama, being a thief, would obviously try to steal the scripture if he knew about it.

Note: italics indicate thoughts.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter One

The tavern was shabby and filth-ridden, typical of the Makai, but youkai still frequent this particular one. It was in the middle of nowhere, hidden by mountains on one side and trees on the others. The general rule of the tavern was "don't ask questions"; doing so could get you killed. Added to the fact that it was governed by no ruler, this little bar provided the perfect place to gather and share information.

"Hey, did you hear about what happened to Ryoku and his team?" one youkai said to his companion to the right to him. He had dark green skin, pointed ears and sharp teeth and claws. "Weren't they in the Ningenkai?" his companion asked and took a drink from his cup. He had grey skin and red eyes. "Yeah," the first one replied.

"Don't tell me they got killed by some human," the grey one said.

"Actually, he did," the green youkai said, "But apparently, it was no ordinary human." The green youkai leaned a bit closer to his companion and whispered, "Have you heard about the five Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth?" His companion shook his head. "It's a rare and sacred artifact that's being sought out by youkai all over Togenkyo. The human, this Sanzo as he's called, holds one of the scriptures."

"Ryoku's team wasn't that strong but killed by just one human? I don't buy it."

"The human wasn't alone; he's traveling west with three others. All youkai, supposedly. Thanks to them, no one can possibly get near the scripture, much less steal it."

Neither of them noticed the eavesdropper sitting in the back corner, hidden under a dark cloak. Despite how quiet they tried to keep the conversation, they could not hide it from the sensitive ears of Youko Kurama. He knew this would be a great place to catch wind of valuable heists, but he did not expect to hear about something like this. If this scripture really was so impossible to steal, then it would prove as the perfect challenge for Kurama. The youko smiled, downed the last of his drink and left the tavern.

- - -

"Genjo Sanzo, we're here for you life. If you want to keep it, hand over the scripture now." The band of youkai standing before the four travelers raised their respective weapons to emphasize the point.

The four them were unimpressed. In fact, they looked downright bored.

"Couldn't they come up with something more original?" Goku complained as he slowly climbed out of the back of the Jeep they were traveling on.

"Nah," Gojyo retorted as he did the same, "that would be expecting too much from them."

Sanzo and Hakkai stepped out of the vehicle as well. "Quit your yapping and let's get this over with." The monk was not happy.

Needless to say, the battle was over too quickly. The band was smaller than the usual size and they just as incompetent as previous ones. Despite all that, Sanzo was getting more and more pissed off. This routine was getting really, really old. As much as he enjoyed shooting the crap out of moronic demons – it helps in relieving stress – all the interruptions were slowing down the journey west. They were already a week behind schedule. However, that was not the only reason behind his mood. Lately, it felt as if…

"Sanzo, let's get going," Hakkai said as he climbed back in the Hakuryu.

The four rode on for a while in silence. Goku, watching from the back, noticed that everyone was tense. He simply accredited it to the annoyance of yet another pointless attack. As the miles stretched on, however, their tension did not lessen and the silence dragged on. Something was wrong.

"What's going on? Why's everyone so quiet?" Goku demanded.

"Sanzo, you felt it, too?" Hakkai asked the monk, completely ignoring Goku's question.

Sanzo nodded.

"Felt what?" Goku asked, getting a bit angry at being ignored.

"Do you think we can lose him?" Gojyo inquired. Again, Goku's question remained unanswered.

"I tried to a few days ago," Hakkai replied, "but with all these attacks, he keeps catching up."

"What are you guys talking about?" Goku screamed.

"Urusai, baka saru," Sanzo said, "Haven't you noticed yet? We're being followed."

"Followed?" The anger turned to confusion.

"Yes," replied Hakkai, "It seems for several days now."

"Who's following us?" Goku asked, glancing around and trying to see if he could spot their stalker from the back of the Jeep. "Is he one of Kougaiji's?"

"I don't know but I somehow doubt it," Hakkai responded, "This one just _feels_ different to me."

"Ch, who cares?" retorted Sanzo, "He'll show his face sooner or later, and then we'll deal with him. For now, we wait."

- - -

Finding the portal that led to Togenkyo, the so-called land of paradise in southwestern China, was harder than the youko previously thought. While Japan is littered with portals between the Makai and the Ningenkai, they are rare in China. Added to the fact that Enma-daioh placed a barrier on all the portals, Kurama had a very difficult time.

Finding Sanzo-ikkou, however, was quite the opposite. All the youko had to do was follow the path of dead youkai bodies. And there were plenty of them to follow.

Kurama had been tracking the four of them for a week now, watching for an opening to make his move. He did his best to hide his youki and keep his distance, but it seemed that he must have slipped up somewhere because they became conscious of his presence. That would make the job a bit more challenging but then again, that was why he was here. The more difficult a heist is, the more Kurama wanted to accomplish it. And this heist was said to be impossible.

_And once I steal what apparently can't be stolen, my name will be known all across the three worlds,_ Kurama thought.

From the week of watching from afar, the silver youko could tell that if he were ever to battle them face to face in a fair fight, he would probably not stand a chance. Despite how strong Kurama was, the four of Sanzo-ikkou worked too well as a team. They were not brainless youkai that made up the majority of the Makai. No way could the youko take on all four at once.

_With them aware of my existence, the sneak approach will be a bit trickier,_ Kurama thought to himself, _but I wouldn't be Youko Kurama if I didn't know how to get around that._ He stared at the direction the Jeep and smiled in anticipation. _It won't be long now, Sanzo Houshi._

* * *

Yeah, this story may die. It sounded like a cool idea when I started writing... Anyway, do tell me what you think. 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: The Sanzo-ikkou's journey in "Xi You Ji/Journey to the West", which _Saiyuki_ was very loosely based off of, started in the 7th Century so that means it took place more than a thousand years before _Yu Yu Hakusho_. Therefore, Kurama is still a relatively young and inexperienced youko at the time. I have him just starting to build his later infamous reputation as a thief. Keep that in mind when you're reading; this is not the exact same Kurama that you know.

Note: italics indicate thoughts.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Two

The sun was starting to set and there was not a town or village in sight. Hakkai pointed out that the day's drive had been taxing on Hakuryu and that it would best if they stopped for the night. Goku complained about being hungry, yet again. Gojyo looked to be bored out of his mind.

"I think I can make it to the edge of that forest before dark," Hakkai said, pointing towards the upcoming row of trees.

Sanzo just shrugged, indicating that he did not mind or care.

As it turned out, it was well after the sun had set that they made into the woods. It took a little bit longer to find a suitable place to camp for the night, but they eventually stumbled upon a small clearing. Gojyo tended to the fire while Hakkai prepared what little food they had left. Goku left to gather more wood for the fire and Sanzo did what he did best: nothing. After all the food disappeared, they settled themselves down for the night. Since the sky was clear and cloudless, there was no need to set up a tent and they all slept under the stars. There was the usual grumbling from Goku and Gojyo about sleeping on the hard ground but it was not long before all of them fell into a comfortable sleep.

While there were no dangerous creatures in this forest, there did reside a silver fox with two tails. After a safe amount of time had passed, Kurama moved soundlessly towards the sleeping group. He used the lithe body of his fox form to maneuver past the redhead, who he believed was named Gojyo, and the man with the white dragon lying next to him, Hakkai. Once past them, he moved to slip past Goku, the one closest to his mark.

"Harahetta!"

The voice startled the silver fox, who had been solely focused on his target. Kurama looked down at the source of the noise and mentally laughed. Goku was still sleeping soundly, a bit of drool dripping from his mouth. _Amusing little thing,_ the youko thought, _He's even hungry in his sleep._ He continued to move forwards.

Just as the fox neared the sleeping monk, Sanzo moved. Kurama froze as he stared at the barrel end of a gun, which was pointed directly in between his eyes. _Shit!_ Kurama cursed himself for being so careless.

"A fox youkai, huh?" Sanzo said with a slight smirk, "Interesting."

Kurama did nothing but stand still.

"Did Kougaiji send you?" the angry monk asked.

As luck would have it, at that exact moment, Goku stirred in his sleep. The movement momentarily caught Sanzo's attention. Kurama used the opportunity to jump away from the angry monk and his gun. While the proud youko rarely retreated, he was smart enough to realize a bad situation when he was in one. He made a run for it.

"Shit," Sanzo muttered as he opened fire on the fox.

Kurama fused his powers into the plant life around him. They stirred to life around him, shielding him from the onslaught of bullets. While the leaves and tall grass did a decent job of it, they could not protect him from all of it. Several bullets grazed his sides, ears and tail. Kurama, however, ignored the wounds and continued running.

Sanzo finally stopped shooting once the silver fox was out of sight. By that time, everyone was awake from all the noise.

"Sanzo, what's going on?" Goku asked, rubbing his eyes and trying to stifle a yawn. He was answered by a smack to the head by Sanzo's harisen. "Itai! What the hell was that for?" Goku demanded as he rubbed the area where he was hit.

"Why can't you at least stay still in your sleep, you baka saru!" Needless to say, Sanzo was angry at himself for letting the fox get away and he was taking it out on Goku.

"Sanzo, what happened?" Hakkai decided to intercede before the fight could escalate.

The blonde monk sat down and took out a cigarette. He lit it, took a long drag and let it out slowly. "Our stalker finally showed himself," he finally said. Sanzo let inhaled and let out another puff of smoke. "He went after the scripture."

"Oh? You mean that fox you were shooting at?" Gojyo asked, "You sure you're not just getting paranoid, Sanzo?"

"Baka," the monk retorted, "Didn't you notice anything odd about that fox?"

"Odd?" Gojyo looked confused.

It was Hakkai that answered Sanzo's question. "He had two tails."

"What does that mean?" Goku asked, sick of being left out of the conversation.

"Only fox youkai, or youko, have multiple tails," Hakkai explained, "We're lucky that this one only had two. The more tails a youko has, the more powerful he is." He turned his attention to the monk, who had by then finished his cigarette and had started on another. "Sanzo, do you think he was sent by Kougaiji?"

"Hell if I know," the blonde answered, "but he won't be back tonight." He quickly finished off his cigarette and stubbed it out. "I'm going back to sleep."

The rest of them took that as the end of the discussion and returned to their respective spots. They all fell asleep moments later.

- - -

_Damn you, Sanzo,_ Kurama thought as he bandaged the gunshot wound at his side. He had sustained five wounds overall and it took an hour to properly treat all of them. While all the wounds were shallow, they caused quite a bit of pain for the youko.

Once he finished all the bandaging, Kurama sat down and let himself relax a bit. After the escape, Kurama had found a small cave that was hidden by the vegetation around the cave entrance. Now he leaned against the cave wall and sighed. _It seems sneaking up to them won't work; they're too vigilant, he thought, I have to come up with something else._

The next morning, Kurama allowed Sanzo and his team a head start before following them again. He knew they would not be letting down their guard for the next couple of days so tracking them closely would be wasted effort. It would be better if they thought he had given up. He knew they were heading towards the next town, which was still several days away. The youko will use the time to study them and gather more information for his next plan. Obviously, had he down his research thoroughly, he would not have been caught unaware by Sanzo. He could also use the time to properly heal and regain his strength.

The research turned up a lot of interesting data. For one thing, there was no great love or friendship binding together the Sanzo-ikkou; they could barely stand each other. Even from afar, Kurama could hear the arguments from the Jeep. However, when danger arose, they fought magnificently as a team, each trusting the others to cover his back.

The fox discovered that Goku, who on the outside seemed like a child, was in fact the strongest. He was also fiercely protective of Sanzo. Kurama made a mental note as to avoid the boy if he ever needed to fight face-to-face with the monk. Hakkai's ability to manipulate his ki would also a bit problematic for him. Gojyo's weapon somewhat resembled a whip. While the path of a whip could easily be altered with a flick of the wrist, Kurama's expertise with his own whip would be an advantage in a fight against the redhead. And of course, Sanzo was no pushover. Both the banishing gun and the scripture were both long- and short-range weapons, making it difficult for Kurama to even get close to the man, much less snatch the scripture. Added to his three "bodyguards," confronting them together would be suicide. That was why the youko first attempted to steal the scripture when they were all asleep.

_I'll just have to split up their little team and attack Sanzo when he's alone,_ Kurama thought. _Getting past both that gun and the scripture will be hard, but not impossible. Even if he can fight, he's still only a human._

Now that he had a plan, he needed to catch up to the four of them to set it in motion.

* * *

Yeah, I only gave Kurama two tails. I thought it was fair since I believe when he died, he only had four. I'm gonna try to keep this story alive if people are actually interested in it. But I do believe that I've wrote myself into a corner so to get out of that, the story may take a lame turn in the future. We'll see. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: I'm debating whether I should put this story under the _Saiyuki_ category and not _Yu Yu Hakusho_. I'm looking over my notes and outline, and this story definitely has more _Saiyuki_ elements than _YYH_. Decisions, decisions. Suggestions?

Note: italics indicate thoughts.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Three

"This guy's not giving up, is he?" Gojyo asked.

It has been five days since the appearance of the mysterious youko. The Sanzo-ikkou, never deterred by these attempts at the scripture, continued their journey to the west as if nothing happened. For the first three days, they felt nothing and assumed that the youko had given up after his close encounter with Sanzo's guy. However, starting from the fourth day, the nagging feeling of someone following them returned. And now, into the sixth day, the feeling was still there, and getting stronger by the hour. The youko was close.

"He must be waiting for us to reach the next town," Hakkai said, "It'll be easier for him to hide his presence amongst all the people." He turned towards Sanzo. "Perhaps we shouldn't go into town."

"No way!" Goku screamed before Sanzo could answer, "We've been camping out for the past week. I'm sick of sleeping on the ground or in the Jeep. And I want a good meal. Harahetta!"

Obviously, the complaining got on Sanzo's nerves because the next thing Goku felt was a whack on the head from the monk's harisen.

Gojyo laughed but agreed with the baka saru. "It has been a while since we've set foot in a town." He looked at Hakkai through the rearview mirror and asked, "Aren't we also running out of supplies?"

Hakkai nodded.

"I say if he wants to come after us, let him," Gojyo continued, "I sure as hell ain't scared of him." He smirked towards Sanzo and added, "Unless, of course, Sanzo's afraid to fight a youko."

The redhead was met with a loaded gun pointed at his forehead.

"You want to try repeating that, punk?" Sanzo asked as he slowly moved his thumb to cock the gun.

Gojyo nervously shook his head and Sanzo retracted the gun.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Hakkai said, breaking up the tense silence, "We should be able to reach the next town a little after noon."

The town was very small but populated. The streets were crowded with people, even during lunch time. The Sanzo-ikkou found a nice little restaurant and sat down for the first decent meal in a long time. Goku, needless to say, gulped up most of the food before they were even set on the table. After some cursing on Gojyo's end, more food was ordered to the table. The four of them ate in peace, or as much peace as possible for the group.

As soon as lunch ended, they set out to find a place to stay for the night. They settled on a nice family-run inn near the edge of town. After they were shown their rooms, everyone decided to go their separate ways. As Gojyo put it, "I've been stuck with the three of you for too long." Hakkai set out to replenish their supplies. Goku went to ogle at the food stands in the market. Gojyo left to "meet the locals." Sanzo, as always, stayed in the room and caught up on his newspapers.

Kurama watched all of this from his chosen outpost in the town. Having discovered a shortcut through the hills surround the town, he actually arrived some moments before the Sanzo-ikkou. While traveling on foot was slower and more taxing, there are some places that a Jeep just cannot navigate through. The youko spent the extra time he had gained to set up his trap. Now that the four of them have more or less separated themselves completely from each other, the trap was ready to be sprung.

For the entire time he had been in town, the youko had masked his youki. Kurama knew that the four of the Sanzo-ikkou could detect his presence one way or another. He had a vague feeling that they could feel his youki if it was to become active. Therefore, he placed special plant markers all around town with a bit of his ki infused into it. Once Kurama stops masking his youki, the plants will also emit his youki signature. This should confuse the other members of the team long enough for Kurama to confront Sanzo alone and take the scripture.

Kurama dropped the guard around his youki and watched. Sure enough, as soon as his youki began to emit, the four of them seemed to stiffen perceivably. Then they each headed towards the nearest marker. The fish have taken to the bait. Kurama left his outpost and headed for the inn where the four of them would be staying for the night.

Sanzo was just about to start on another cigarette when he felt the youko's presence close by. He placed the unlit cigarette back into the box and took out his gun. Though he knew the fox was coming, Sanzo could not predict where he was going to enter the room. The monk's most probably guess would be the window, and thus he trained his gun at that entrance.

Seconds ticked away with no movement. The presence remained there but it did not get any stronger or weaker. The youko seemed to be staying put. Still, Sanzo aimed his gun at the window.

The glass on the window shattered as vines crashed through it. Sanzo fired two shots but there was nothing to hit but plant-life. More vines came through broken window and flooded the room, knocking over the table and chairs. Guided by their master, the vines sought out their victim: Sanzo. The monk fired a few more shots at the mass of green but being plants, they felt no pain. Where one vine was cut off by a bullet, three more replaced it. They wrapped around his ankles and his wrists, forcing Sanzo to drop his gun. Several climbed up his body and settled around his neck, choking him just enough so he could not speak. It was not long before the great Sanzo Hoshi-sama was completely immobilized by the plants.

Only when his plants had secured the target did Kurama enter the room. He smiled when he saw the angry, but completely helpless, Sanzo dangling in the middle of room from his vines. The youko allowed himself a little time to savor his victory over someone who was supposedly unbeatable.

"I'm sure you think me cowardly for not challenging you face-to-face," Kurama said, knowing full-well that Sanzo could not answer, "but I like to avoid actually combat when possible." He stepped a bit closer to get a better look at the famous monk. "Plus, I've been told that you are more powerful than you seem so I thought best not to take any chances. However, it seems I've overestimated you."

Sanzo glared at the youko. _Don't get too cocky, you asshole. Once I get out of this, you're dead meat._

Kurama smiled even more under Sanzo's seething stare. The youko knew that the monk could do nothing _but_ glare at him. _And now to claim my prize,_ Kurama thought. He walked towards Sanzo, his hand reaching for the scripture. The scripture slipped off of Sanzo's shoulders easily and was rolled up into a scroll. _So much for impossible._

The youko was just about to secure the scripture to the sash on his waist when the wall nearest him exploded. Kurama dropped the scroll when a large piece of rubble slammed into his wrist. The scroll rolled away and stopped in front of Goku, his staff already in hand.

The sight that greeted Goku when he first burst through the wall both angered and relieved him. After chasing after what he later discovered was a decoy, he felt a sudden dread. He rushed back to the inn as fast as he could. When he saw Sanzo all tangled up in what seemed to be vines, Goku's first emotion was anger. However, realizing that Sanzo was still alive, he felt a great feeling of relief. And now that he knew the culprit had not escaped, Goku allowed himself a sense of glee. _I'm going to have fun with this one,_ he thought to himself as he stepped in front of Sanzo, guarding him from the fox. Goku raised his Nyoi-bou, ready for battle.

Seeing the boy, Kurama knew that he was in trouble. The youko was by no means a weak demon, but he knew that Goku was here, the others were bound to show up soon as well. In a three-to-one combat against them, Kurama was bound to lose. And with an angry Goku, he might even need the other two to thoroughly beat Kurama to a bloody pulp. _Note to self: In the future, leave the gloating for later,_ the fox said to himself. _Well, at least I still have Sanzo as a hostage._

A crescent-shaped scythe, with a chain trailing it, flew into the room and cut through all the vines constraining the blonde monk.

_So much for that,_ Kurama thought bitterly. He followed the chain as it was retracted back to its owner. Gojyo stood to the youko's left, just within his peripheral vision.

"Sanzo, are you alright?" Hakkai stepped into the room from the large hole in the wall that Goku blasted. He walked quickly over to the monk, who was rubbing his sore neck.

"We can't even leave you alone for a minute, can we, Sanzo?" Gojyo joked, seeing that Sanzo was more or less fine.

The monk, now that he was breathing more easily, reached for his dropped gun. "Remind me to shoot you after I kill this bastard over there," Sanzo responded.

Totally outnumbered, Kurama could only think of one thing to do: turn tail and run. He ordered the vines in the room to erupt at the same time, rising from the floor in a gigantic mass of green and blocking the Sanzo-ikkou's way. Of couse, Kurama understood that his plants would not hold them for long. Already, the four of them were working their way through the wall of vines. Kurama quickly retreated, silently vowing that he would return, and that the next time, he would leave with the scripture safely in hand.

By the time they cut down all the vines, the youko was gone. His presence still lingered, but that could have been from all the decoys he set up. The room was in disarray, with what remained of the vines, an overturned table and several chairs, a broken window and a large hole where a wall used to be. The Sanbutsushin would be getting the bill for the damages soon.

The bed somehow survived unscathed from the whole fiasco so Sanzo chose to sit on that. Goku sat on next to Sanzo on the bed, not close enough to impede upon the monk's personal space but not very far, either. Gojyo and Hakkai picked up two chairs from the ground and plopped themselves down upon those.

"I think it's time we stopped waiting for this bastard to act first." Gojyo was the first to break the silence. "Let's just find him and beat the crap out of him."

"Yeah!" Goku agreed, "We can't just keep ignoring him. He could've killed Sanzo!"

Sanzo growled in annoyance. He did not want to be reminded of his helplessness a moment ago.

Throughout all of this, Hakkai sat in silent contemplation. "I agree that we can't keep disregarding this youko's presence; obviously, he's dangerous," Hakkai said, "But I don't think he's out to kill us, or even just Sanzo. If wanted Sanzo dead, he had the time and means to kill him today." He glanced over at the monk, who just proceeded to look even more annoyed. Hakkai knew that that was about as close to an affirmation as he was going to get. He continued, "And this youko seems to be very wary of our strength. He went through great trouble to divide and occupy us with his decoys today so he could attack Sanzo alone. He obviously wanted to avoid a fight with all four of us together."

"So he's just a weak little coward," Gojyo said.

"I disagree," Hakkai retorted, "I would say that he's cautious, conscience of both our and his strengths and weaknesses. Even Kougaiji tries to avoid fighting all of us at once, and I would never think of Kougaiji as a 'weak little coward.'"

Gojyo reluctantly acquiesced.

"So how come Kougaiji sent this guy to come after us?" Goku asked, "He's never bothered with not killing us before. I mean, he must have sent thousands of assassins after us by now."

Sanzo answered before Hakkai had the chance. "Baka, he's not from Kougaiji."

"Huh?"

"You said it yourself, Goku," Hakkai explained, "Kougaiji has never cared whether we lived or not, as long as he got the scripture. Most of the time, the easiest way to get it would just be to simply kill us and take it. I don't see Kougaiji changing his plans now. And we've already established that this youko is no assassin."

"If he's not an assassin then what is he?" Goku asked, "Just a thief?"

Hakkai nodded. "That's what I'm guessing," he said, "The scripture would sell for a high price to the right buyer. Plus, think of the added fame to be able to steal the scripture from under the Sanzo-ikkou's noses. That certainly fits as something a fox demon would do."

"Yeah, their kind has always been known as sly, tricky and underhanded." Sanzo finally decided to join the discussion.

Hakkai nodded again, agreeing with the monk. Since Gojyo and Goku did not really know much about fox spirits and the like, they pretended to understand and nodded along with Hakkai.

"What do you plan to do now, Sanzo?" Gojyo asked, "We obviously can't just let this fox bastard get away with this."

Sanzo, thoroughly annoyed and stressed out by the conversation, chose to placate himself with a cigarette. It was only after he inhaled and exhaled the first puff of smoke that he answered Gojyo's question. "There's not much we can do at the moment. These decoys that you mentioned earlier will probably cover up his tracks while in town. We can't pinpoint his location if we feel his presence everywhere around us." The monk paused to take another puff of smoke. "He'll be back; youko are proud and arrogant so he won't give up until he either wins or the risks outweigh the gains. Next time he attacks, let's make sure that he is the one that is surprised, not us."

* * *

Several things:

1) This is gonna be the last update for the next few weeks. I have three midterms this week and next week is break. I don't have Internet access at home (TT) so I won't be able to update even if I had anything to update with. Sorry. I did make this chapter longer than the previous ones, though.

2) Yes, Kurama failed again. Seriously, though, it was one against four. And like I mentioned last chapter, he's still a young youko with little experience. You can't expect to win against the Sanzo-ikkou that easily, can you?

3) I'm really bad at writing action scenes... I'm sorry.

4) I just realized that I made Goku's character a bit denser and more childish than I intended. That's really sad 'cause Goku's my favorite character in _Saiyuki_, with Sanzo being a close second.

5) I want to thank everyone that reviewed. I'm surprised and glad that people are actually reading and enjoying the story. It makes my day, really. bows Arigato gozaimasu!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Back from Thanksgiving break! I didn't get any homework done but I did write another chapter. I guess it counts for something.

Note: italics indicate thoughts.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Four 

The Sanko-ikkou did not encounter another town or sign of civilization for the next two weeks of travel. By that time they were tired and very, very cranky. Even Hakkai's usually calm mask slipped from time to time. Not only had the number of youkai assassins increased, but that damn youko seemed to be testing their patience with every minute. His annoying presence would flicker in and out, making it impossible to get a good night's sleep. The youko even made another attempt at the scripture but luckily, Sanzo was awake enough to fire off a few rounds. After that incident, they all took turns keeping watch a night.

The town was about the same size as the last one they stopped at but with slightly more luxurious inns. They chose one that had a restaurant downstairs and four rooms next to each other. The four of them agreed with after the two weeks of stressful travel, it would be best to spend some time apart before they all killed each other. After Sanzo acquired the rooms, Gojyo and Goku unloaded everything from the Jeep and brought them upstairs to their rooms. Hakkai went into the market to get some supplies for the next lag of the journey.

Kurama watched and waited just outside the inn. He had his youki completely masked as the last week of stalking the Sanzo-ikkou has taught him that they cannot track him with his youki tightly under control. It took a lot of skill and concentration but it was worth it if he did not get a bullet in the head. So that was why he was hiding in the alley behind the kitchen of inn. With his superior hearing, Kurama could make out the enthusiastic shouts from Goku.

He also heard the orders that the waiter brought to the chef.

When all their food had been prepared and ready to leave the kitchen, Kurama sprung into action. He rushed in, faster than the human eye can see, dropped a powdery substance into a big bowl of soup on their tray, and then rushed out again. To the people in the kitchen, it felt as if a strong gust of wind went through the room. The waiter continued on his way with the big tray of food.

Kurama watched from the rooftops facing the inn as the food was brought towards Sanzo's table. Goku, of course, was already bouncing up and down at the site of it. He almost pounced on the waiter as he came to the table. As soon as the food was set down, Goku attacked. His left hand reached for a chicken leg as his right scooped up a spoonful of soup. His face showed that the soup was to his liking because after he wolfed down the chicken leg in about two seconds, he washed it down with all of the soup in the bowl. The soup that contained the powder Kurama sneaked in.

_Damn that monkey and his insatiable appetite,_ the youko cursed. _Now what?_

The silver youko continued to watch as Gojyo put Goku in a headlock for hogging all the food. After about a minute of nonstop shouting between the two, Sanzo finally smacked the both of them with his harisen. Hakkai just laughed it all off and calmly told them to settle down and eat before the food got cold. Kurama watched this interaction and something clicked in his brain.

_If my observations were correct, the one closest to Sanzo is that little monkey boy,_ Kurama thought, _I hope my assumptions are correct._ He sighed. _Either way, I'm gonna have a pissed off monk after my tail._ He silently slipped off the roof and headed towards the room Sanzo rented out for himself.

- - -

"Honestly, Sanzo," Hakkai said with a sigh, "were those last few bullets really necessary?" The four of them were making their way upstairs after the long and satisfying meal. "We don't want to cause too much trouble here and get kicked out."

"If those two idiots had just quit their yapping, I wouldn't have had to shut them up," the monk answered in his usual tone. He led the way to their rooms.

There was a low grumble from Gojyo, who was following Hakkai. Words like "damn trigger-happy monk" and "baka saru" could be heard all the way up the stairs.

Goku, the last in the line, was walking slower than usual. His face looked a bit scrunched up, as if he was uncomfortable or in pain. His hands were clutching his sides. "Hey, Sanzo," the monkey whined, "My stomach feels weird."

"Baka, we warned you not to each so much so fast." Gojyo said.

Sanzo stopped just before he reached his room and turned to look at all of them. "I don't want to see any of you for the rest of the night unless you're dying." Then without another word, he walked into his room and shut the door.

The rest of them looked at each other and shrugged. They each went into their separate rooms, with Goku still clutching his stomach area.

Once his room, Sanzo went directly to the table, pulled out a cigarette and reached for the newspaper that was brought upon request. His hand stopped when his eyes found something that was not there before: a white piece of paper and a blood-red rose. The monk ignored the rose but picked up the piece of paper to read what was written on it.

"_Genjo Sanzo Hoshi, _

_One of your teammates has been poisoned. By now, the poison should have invaded his entire body and the side effects will start soon, if it has not already. With the dosage I used, he should be dead by noon tomorrow if not treated. I am willing to give you the antidote in exchange for the scripture. Meet me in the clearing in the middle of the forest at the edge of town at 11:00 sharp for the trade. This will be my only offer. _

– _Kurama" _

Just then, Sanzo heard a thud and some loud shuffling next door. A few short moments later, the door to his room flew open with a bang and Hakkai rushed in, followed by Gojyo carrying a shaking Goku.

"Sanzo, there's something wrong with Goku," Hakkai said, sounding very worried.

"I don't feel so good, Sanzo," Goku said in a very weak voice as Gojyo started to carry him towards the bed.

The monk handed the note over to Hakkai and headed for the bed to check up on Goku. Hakkai read over the piece of paper quickly and when he finished, he asked, "What are we going to do, Sanzo?"

The blonde did not seem to hear the question, or perhaps he just decided to ignore it, because he did not answer. His right hand was placed on Goku's forehead, just below the limiter.

Goku was burning up.

"Hakkai, go fetch some towels and cold water," he said, "Gojyo, see if the innkeeper has anything that will reduce fevers." When they did not leave immediately, he yelled in a commanding voice, "Move it!"

While the two of them were out of the room, Sanzo allowed himself to drop his emotional mask. The monk had wanted to believe that the youko's note was a lie, but in the three plus years that he had lived with the monkey, Goku has never gotten sick. Now the teen was lying on the bed with an increasingly high fever. _And I allowed it to happen right under my nose,_ Sanzo cursed himself. _Pathetic._

Goku whimpered slightly and opened his eyes. It took him a moment to focus on Sanzo's face. "Sanzo, what's wrong with me?" he asked weakly.

"Baka saru," the blonde replied, "Maybe next time you'll taste your food before you swallow it."

"What do you mean, Sanzo?"

"You have food poisoning."

What he said was true to a certain point. Sanzo felt no need to tell Goku the full extent of his situation until they have had time to decide what to do next. Telling the monkey now would not accomplish anything but panic.

"Oh," Goku said. He winced a bit as another wave of pain hit him. "I'll be okay, right?"

Sanzo looked away from that innocent, earnest face. He decided to focus on something outside the window instead. "Yeah, you'll be back to your annoying stupid self in no time," the monk answered.

The door to the room opened then and in walked Hakkai, with Gojyo following close behind. Hakkai laid down the pan of water next to the bed. He proceeded to soak one of the towels he fetched with the water, wring it out and then place it on Goku's head. Goku make a small sound of relief as the cool cloth touched his burning skin.

"This is all they have but they said it should help with the fever," the redhead said as he walked towards Sanzo with a packet of herbs in his left hand. "So what's the matter with the little bugger?"

Sanzo looked over at the bed and made sure Goku could not hear their conversation before replying, "Poison." He picked up the note that Hakkai put down earlier and passed it to Gojyo. "Don't tell Goku; his pea-sized brain can't handle that much information at once." He tossed the herbs that Gojyo acquired to Hakkai. "Boil this in some water and have the monkey drink it. That should bring down the fever a bit."

By the time the medicine was prepared, Goku was barely conscious. The pain became so overwhelming that his mind could only focus on that and nothing else. Neither Hakkai nor Gojyo could rouse him to take his medicine. So, in the end, Gojyo had to hold Goku in an upright position and Hakkai had to aid Goku to swallowing the medicine. Fortunately, the herbs did their job and brought down Goku's fever significantly. He fell into an uneasy sleep eventually, to everyone's relief.

With the immediate problem solved at the moment, the three remaining members sat around the round table in the room to discuss what will happen next. It is obvious that the youko was not lying about poisoning Goku, which meant that the monkey's condition was only going to worsen until they administer the cure. However, trading the scripture to the fox demon for the antidote was not an option. As horrible as it may sound, they all knew that the mission was more important than the life of any individual, even if that individual was Goku.

"So what now?" Gojyo asked.

* * *

1) So Kurama's getting the upper hand, finally. I'd say that not only is he learning from his previously mistakes, but he's also learned not to underestimate the Sanzo-ikkou as much.

2) Concerning Kurama's partners, like Kuronue…yeah. I honestly don't think I can write Kuronue very well; I'd probably butcher his character so much that you'd all hate me. And since I don't really know any other partners Kurama has had (besides Yomi), if I wanted him to have a partner, it would have to be an OC. I'd really like to keep the number of OCs at a minimum for this story. So I'm just gonna say this is from a time when he was flying still solo. Sorry.

3) According to my notes, this story will be about 10-11 chapters long, with a possible short little epilogue just for laughs. So we're almost halfway through with the story. Yay?


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: I have writer's block and an all-consuming addiction to _Prince of Tennis_ at the moment. You could say I'm a _PoT_head. Added with four finals and a huge lab report, this will be the last update for quite a while. Sorry.

Note: italics indicate thoughts.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Five 

"I say we just go after him now, find him and make him give us the antidote," Gojyo said and then took a drag of his cigarette. "Even without Goku, we could still kick the crap out of him."

"Normally, that wouldn't be such a bad idea," Hakkai admitted, "but this _Kurama_ is a clever one." He looked down at the piece of paper in the middle of the table. "He has already proven before that he can infuse his energy signature in other objects to confuse us, and now he's learned how to get close to us without any of us detecting him. Added to the fact that it already past midnight, there is very little chance we could track him down."

"Damn it," the redhead cursed. He harshly snubbed out his cigarette into the ashtray. "What should we do then? Just meet up with him and hand over the scripture?"

"I don't see what other choice we have," Hakkai said with a sigh, "Sanzo, what do you think?"

The monk, who up until now had kept silent and still by the window, looked away from the night sky. "We're getting the scripture back as soon as we have the antidote."

Hakkai smiled. "Of course." His hand reached up to pet the little dragon that was perched beside him. "Hakuryuu can serve as our surveillance from the air in case Kurama tries to run."

Hakuryuu "kyuu-kyuu"ed in response.

"Well, now that that's settled, I'm gonna go get some sleep," Gojyo announced as he pushed himself away from the table. "Wake me up when it's my turn to keep watch over the little monkey." He gave a little wave as he walked out the door.

"Sanzo, why don't you get some rest, too?" the green-eyed healer said, "I will take the first watch."

"Hn." While he did not like the feeling of waiting around helplessly, Sanzo had to admit that there was nothing to be done at the moment but watch over Goku's condition and wait until morning. The monk walked out of the room without another word.

Hakkai shook his head at Sanzo's stony attitude as he sat down on the chair besides the bed. He looked down at Goku and frowned slightly. Normally, the teenager would be snoring away but right now he was completely silent and still. Only the rise and fall of Goku's chest indicated that he was still alive. Hakkai reached a hand over to feel the boy's forehead and was relieved that his fever had indeed broken. He then proceeded to settled into a comfortable position in the chair. It was going to be a long night.

-

"Oi, you corrupt monk," Gojyo yelled, "Rise and shine."

The redhead was answered with a gun pointed at his nose.

"You really have a death wish, don't you?" Sanzo asked, his eyes still closed.

"Look, I've done my watch and now it's your turn to look over the monkey," Gojyo replied while carefully moving his head away from the muzzle of the gun.

"Che." The monk lowered his gun but made no effort to get up. "Whoever said I was gonna watch over that idiot?" He turned over on the bed so he was no longer facing the half demon.

"Psh," Gojyo spit out, "And here I thought you cared a little." He started walking out of the room. "Anyway, I'm going back to bed. If Goku dies in the next few hours, we know who to blame. Oyasumi nasai, Sanzo Hoshi-sama."

Sanzo opened his eyes once he heard the door to the room close. He turned over again and looked out at the morning sky. The sun was just rising, the early rays of the sun barely shining through the open window. The monk slowly rose from the bed into a sitting position. He was sleep-deprived and annoyed.

"Once we cure that idiot, I'm going to kill him," Sanzo muttered as he trudged his way to the room that once belonged to the monk.

Goku was sleeping as silently and peacefully as could be expected for a person in his state. Sanzo walked over to the empty chair by the bed and sat down. He took out a cigarette and lit it, preparing himself for a long and boring watch.

The monkey woke up by the time Sanzo finished his fifth cigarette. Goku opened his eyes and sat straight up on the bed. The sudden movement surprised the monk that it made him drop the rest of his pack.

"Oi, Goku," Sanzo said, "do you have any idea –"

His words were interrupted by Goku's screams. The teenager held his head with his hands as he screamed over and over. He was in great pain.

"Oi, Goku!" the monk yelled over the screams, "What's the matter with you?" He reached over and tried to shake some sense into the boy.

Goku shook off Sanzo's hands and continued to scream in agony.

The sounds seemed to have woken up Hakkai and Gojyo because the next thing Sanzo knew, they were crashing through the door and into the room. By this time, the boy was writhing in pain on the bed. The two of them stared at Goku in shock and worry.

"Don't just stand there," Sanzo shouted at them, "Help me with him!"

Gojyo rushed over to the bed and helped Sanzo to hold Goku still on the bed.

"Hakkai!" said the monk, "Don't you have something that will put him to sleep?"

The healer nodded quickly. "I think one of the herbs that Gojyo got from the innkeeper has sleep-inducing properties." He rummaged through the packet of herbs and quickly found the ones he needed. "I'll go prepare it now."

"Hurry!" Gojyo yelled. He was having trouble keeping Goku's moving body under control. The monkey was small but he was also strong.

Hakkai returned in under a minute. He instructed Sanzo and Gojyo to hold Goku still while he administered the drug. "I added something to help with the pain as well, so hopefully he'll fall back asleep in the next few minutes," Hakkai explained.

The drug took longer to work than Hakkai expected but Goku did eventually stop screaming and fall into a restless sleep.

"Phew," sighed Gojyo, "I think that monkey got me in the eye. I'm gonna have to pay him back once he gets better."

Hakkai continued to check over Goku's condition just to make sure he was not in any immediate danger. "Sanzo, I think we had better head out now if we wish to make the deadline," he suggested.

"Hn."

By the time they left the inn, the sun had already risen and was shining brightly over them. Goku was placed in the bad of the Jeep, still asleep, with Gojyo to look after him. Hakkai drove in silence, glancing back at Goku every now and then to check on his condition. After what felt like an endless drive, they reached the edge of the forest that Kurama wrote about in the note. Hakkai stopped the Jeep and everyone climbed out with Gojyo carrying Goku over his shoulder. Hakuryuu transformed back into his small dragon form and hovered in front of his master.

"Hakuryuu, I need you to fly overheard and keep an eye on the youko during the exchange," Hakkai instructed. "Be careful and keep out of sight as much as possible, ok?"

The white dragon nodded his little head and flew off.

"Let's go."

- - -

"Oi, you bastard youko," Gojyo yelled into the trees, "We know you're here 'cause we can feel your annoying presence all over the place. So just come down and show your ugly face!"

Kurama, who was watching them walk into the clearing from the branches, twitched a little. _Ugly? Who is he calling "ugly"?_

"Now now, Gojyo," said Hakkai, "There's no need to insult him."

"I'll insult him all I want," the redhead retorted. He yelled again into the trees. "Hey, are we gonna do this or not?"

"Of course," Kurama answered, "I was just waiting for you to finish your ranting and raving."

The youko's voice seemed to echo all around them in the open clearing so the Sanzo-ikkou could not pinpoint his exact location. Kurama watched in amusement as their eyes searched all around them and failed to find any signs of him.

"You're not going to find me by simply looking, Sanzo-ikkou," the youko teased them, "And your little dragon in the sky will be of no help to you whatsoever. Or did you think that I would not notice?" He smirked when he saw the barely noticeable frowns that showed up on their faces.

"Enough of your games, youko," Sanzo said, "Where is the antidote?"

"Do you think me an idiot, ningen?" Kurama answered, his tone turned serious, "Hand over the Maten Scripture and then I'll tell you I've hidden the antidote."

Gojyo did not like the plan. "How do we know that once we hand over the scripture, you'll keep your end of the deal?"

"You have my word," Kurama replied, "Besides, if I wanted to kill you, I could easily do so right now. I only want the scripture." When Sanzo did not move, he added, "Tick tock, Sanzo. I can wait for days but your little friend there only has so much time left."

However reluctant, Sanzo had to admit that if they wish to save Goku, he had to listen to the youko for the moment. _This fox bastard is going to get a few bullets in his brain._ "How do you want to do this?"

Kurama smiled. _Finally._ "Take off the scripture and roll it up. Place the scroll at the base of the tree directly in front of you. Then step back to the middle of the clearing again." He warned them, "And if you see your mouth moving at all, even if it's to yawn, I'll take the antidote and let your friend die. Don't think that I don't know what the scripture is capable of."

"He's not my friend," Sanzo gritted out as he took the scripture off his shoulders, "He's my servant."

Hakkai and Gojyo could only watch helplessly as Sanzo walked over to the base of the tree and placed the rolled up scroll down. As the monk moved back to where the others stood, vines came down and picked up the scroll, lifting it into the denseness of the trees. That was the last they saw of the Maten Scripture.

The scripture was passed from vine to vine in an intricate network until the scroll finally reached Kurama. The youko carefully manipulated the vines to unroll the scripture enough for him to confirm its authenticity. One look told him that what he had was the real thing. His hand reached into his robes and pulled out a ward, which he quickly placed around the scroll. _Try using your chants with this, Sanzo Hoshi,_ Kurama thought to himself.

"You have the scripture," Hakkai said, "Now where is the antidote?"

"Oh, it's here, in this forest," Kurama answered, tucking the scroll safely in his robes, "I placed it in a glass vial and tied it a branch on one of the trees in here."

"Why you little bastard!" Gojyo screamed.

"Well, I couldn't very much risk you guys chasing me down and taking back the scripture, now could I?" asked Kurama. He looked up at the sky. "You guys had better hurry. From the look of it, he has less than an hour left before the poison finishes its job. Happy hunting!" With one last glance at the Sanzo-ikkou, Kurama took off with his prize.

* * *

1) Yeah, lots of dialogue. And a very smug Kurama. But seriously, wouldn't you be smug? I think he deserves to be a bit arrogant. 

2) This chapter and the next one were orginally supposed to be one chapter, but I thought it would have been too long so I split them up. That's one this chapter seems a bit short.

3) To answer the question of "Why Goku?", it's because he is, at least in my opinion, the strongest one in the group. Keep in mind that Kurama uses plants and poisons from the Makai, which I would assume are stronger than those in the Ningenkai. Therefore, if it had been anyone else but Goku, he probably would have died a lot sooner. Goku's body is not human, or even partly human, so he could stand the poison. At leasts that's how I look at it. Plus, who else in the group would drink a huge bowl of soup all by himself? Thanks to everyone that has commented!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I'm sorry for the huge delay in updates but I've been at home on winter break and I don't have Internet access at home. I've also had a huge writer's block for a while now, possibly due to some loss in interest for this story. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Note: italics indicate thoughts.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Six 

"That bastard!" Gojyo cursed, his words echoing through the trees and scaring away all the wildlife.

"Sanzo, what should we do?" Hakkai asked their supposed leader, "Should we search for the antidote? Or should we go after Kurama and get the scripture back first?"

The monk grumbled in annoyance. "We'll get what we came for," he gritted out, "and then we'll go fox hunting."

Hakkai nodded. He looked upwards and shouted, "Hakuryuu! See if you can track down the youko and where he's going, please."

The little white dragon made a sound of affirmation and flew away.

"Alright!" Gojyo said as he propped the unconscious Goku against the nearest tree trunk, "The one who finds the antidote gets to kill the youko!"

They each chose a direction and sprung into action. Even with his sharpshooter eyesight, searching the vast forest for a small bottle that may or may not exist proved to be nearly impossible. Half an hour passed and he turned up with nothing. Time was running out. The monk was getting frustrated and extremely pissed off. Just as Sanzo was ready to shoot everything that moved, and did not move, in the forest, a small glint of light caught his eye.

There, on the lowest branch of tree in front of him, hung a bottle of clear liquid.

Sanzo was nearly out of breath by the time he made it back to the clearing. Gojyo and Hakkai were already there, the latter checking on Goku's condition. The healer turned to look at the blonde monk and was about to say something but stopped when he saw the bottle in Sanzo's hand.

"You found it?" Hakkai asked, even though the answer was obvious.

"Aa," Sanzo replied as he handed the bottle over to him.

Hakkai wasted no time administering the antidote. At first, he thought the youko had tricked them for Goku showed no improvement. Luckily, after a few minutes, Goku started to stir and then he opened his eyes.

"Goku!" Hakkai said, relief washing over him, "Are you okay?"

The monkey felt a little confused. The massive headache he had did not help, either. "Hakkai?" Goku said in a hoarse voice, "What happened?" He looked around at his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" the healer asked.

Goku thought hard through the pounding in his head. "I remember the really delicious dinner and then going upstairs. I wasn't feeling so well and collapsed. You guys carried me to Sanzo's room and he told me I had food poisoning." He looked over at Sanzo. "That's the last thing I can remember."

"You were poisoned, you baka saru," Gojyo said. "You're lucky you didn't die." Though he did not show it outright, Gojyo was worried a moment ago that Goku would never wake up again. "We had to trade the scripture for the antidote."

Goku was shocked by the news. He tentatively looked over to Sanzo again, afraid that he would see anger on the monk's face, anger directed towards Goku's stupidity. But when his eyes finally settled on Sanzo, all he saw was indifference. His face was expressionless; it was as if nothing big happened. Goku looked away, not sure if he should be relieved or hurt by Sanzo's lack of caring.

"Goku," Sanzo said, shaking the teenager out of his thoughts, "can you walk?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so," he answered.

"Good," the monk said with a nod, "Then let's get going." Without another word, he started walking in the direction Hakuryuu flew off to earlier, following the youko.

With a bit of help from Hakkai, Goku managed to stand and the three members followed after Sanzo silently. They walked for what felt like an eternity without a single word exchanged between the four of them. Just when Goku could take the absolute silence no longer, they heard a familiar sound above their heads. Hakuryuu descended from the sky and transformed into a Jeep, "kyuu-kyuu"ing urgently at them.

"It seems like we need hurry if we want to catch Kurama," Hakkai said as he quickly climbed into the driver's seat. He proceeded to floor the gas pedal as soon as everyone settled into their usual places.

The group fell into silence again, but Goku couldn't hold back his annoyance over not knowing anything any longer. "Can someone please explain what's going on?"

Hakkai seemed busy somehow working with Hakuryuu to point them in the direction they should be traveling and Sanzo seemed content in not speaking at all, so Gojyo was stuck with the job of explaining everything. He told the teenager about the letter that Kurama left, the timeline and the conditions that he laid down. Then Gojyo went on to talk about the night the plan they decided on, the exchange and then the search for the antidote.

Goku listened to all of it and with each passing minute, his guilt grew more and more. _It's all because of me and my stupidity,_ he screamed at himself, _None of this would have happened if I hadn't been a complete idiot!_

Sanzo, who had not even looked at Goku since he asked him if he could walk, finally turned and stared directly in the teenager's golden eyes. "Don't think too much, you baka saru, or you'll give yourself a head," he said, though in a softer tone than normal. The monk then turned his gaze back to the landscape in front of him.

"But –" Goku started but he did not quite know what to say.

Gojyo laughed and reached a hand over to ruffle Goku's hair. "Hear that, Goku?" he asked with a big smile, "That means the great Sanzo-sama doesn't blame you for this whole mess." He retracted his hand. "Actually, if you think about it, we should probably be grateful." At the sight of Goku's confused look, he added, "If you hadn't drank all the soup, we all would've been poisoned."

With that, Goku felt slightly better. His guilt did not disappear but it did lessen. He stared intently at Sanzo for a moment and when he was satisfied that the monk was indeed not angry at him, the monkey turned his mind towards something else: finding the youko and making him pay. By the time they made their way out of the thick forest, Goku had already thought up of ten different ways to skin the fox and fifteen things he could use the fur for.

- - -

Kurama made his way carefully through the trees. He had transformed into his smaller fox form so he would be harder to track. He traveled by jumping from branch to branch to prevent a foot trail to follow. His powers manipulated the position of the branches so his path through the trees was clear and free of obstacles. The fox made sure that he did not break any branches or leave traces of fur; these were things that could lead Sanzo to him.

The nearest portal to the Makai was a two-hour travel by foot for Kurama. While it was doubtful that the Sanzo-ikkou would catch up or even find him, he was not going to underestimate them again; the youko would not feel completely safe until he was a realm away from them. Once out of the forest, he needed to make his way across a small patch of desert, where he will have no plants in the surrounding to control or places to hide himself. What's more, his footprints could clearly been seen in the sand and easily followed. He wanted to reach that portal as fast as possible.

_I'll lay low for a while,_ Kurama thought, _and then come back here. Once word has spread that the scripture was stolen, I'll sell it to highest bidder. Soon, everyone in the Makai will know my name._ The youko made a little foxy grin and continued his way.

The fox kept running without rest until he felt the portal nearby. There was no marker or anything significant around to indicate something as important as a gateway into another world, but the energy that surrounded the area was unmistakable to a youkai like Kurama. When the youko felt this, he picked up his pace and ran towards the center of aura.

He was only about a hundred meters away from the portal when the first bullet whizzed past his right shoulder. It had been so close to him that it ruffled his fur. Kurama turned back to see Sanzo and his group rushing towards him on their Jeep.

_Damnit!_ he cursed, dodging more oncoming bullets as he continued to run, _Those persistent bastards._ Not only had they managed to track him and chase him down, they somehow managed to do it at the most inopportune time for Kurama. With the portal so near, the youko could not feel their ki over the energy released by the portal. He was caught completely surprise.

The Sanzo-ikkou watched as the small silver fox changed into the form of a youko. With the youko body, Kurama seemed to have gained some speed so Hakkai pushed Hakuryuu even faster than the dragon-turned-Jeep was already going. "Please endure this for now, Hakuryuu," the healer said, "We're almost caught up to him." With the added effort, they did manage to gain some distance on the youko.

"Hey, you bastard fox!" Gojyo yelled from the back of the Jeep, "You have nowhere to run or hide so just give up and maybe we'll grant you a quick death!"

Kurama heard the remark and could not help but smirk. _It seems the youkai here have truly been living among humans for too long._ He mentally laughed at the revelation. _Amusing. And pathetic._

The Jeep was only fifty meters away from the youko when he abruptly stopped. Gojyo thought that Kurama had actually listened to his joking proposal and was about to comment but never managed to get the words out. The four of them could only stare as a black hole, much like a vortex, appeared in front of the youko. The hole grew bigger and bigger with each second until it was taller than Kurama.

"What is that?" Goku asked, pointing at the vortex.

"I don't know but I don't like the look of it," Gojyo answered, never taking his eyes off of it. Kurama turned towards the Sanzo-ikkou with the smile of triumph. "Ja ne!" he said with a small wave. Then he stepped into the portal.

By the time Sanzo fired the next bullet, the portal had already disappeared, and with it any chances for them to regain the Maten Scripture.

* * *

Um, yeah. In my opinion, the story starts going downhill from here onward 'cause I wrote myself into a corner and couldn't really find a great way to get myself out of it. However, I do have the rest of the story planned out and will continue it (if people are still interested) because I don't believe in leaving stories unfinished. I've put my two cents in. Again, sorry for the delay. I'll make up for it by updating the next chapter within the next week. Thanks for all the comments I've received; they really make my day. 


	7. Chapter 7

Note: italics indicate thoughts. Usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Seven 

"What _was_ that?" Goku demanded.

They had arrived at the spot at which Kurama disappeared just mere moments before, but they found nothing that indicated the existence of a portal or gateway. It looked like any other place in the desert, barren and covered with sand.

"I think it was most likely a portal of some sort," Hakkai replied, a serious expression on him as if he was thinking very intently.

"So that's how he gets around," Gojyo said, annoyed, "The bastard just hops from one place to another using these portal things."

"That makes no sense, Gojyo," Hakkai retorted, "If he could do such a thing, why did he bother running all the way here to use the portal? He could have gotten away much faster if he just opened on in the forest."

No one had an answer to this so they all remained quiet while Hakkai returned to his thoughts. The healer proceeded to walk around the exact place in which the portal appeared, as if inspecting it. At one point, he stopped and closed his eyes in concentration. Though both Goku and Gojyo were curious as to what Hakkai was doing, they did not dare to break his concentration by asking. After another few moments, he sighed and opened his eyes again.

"I may be wrong, but I do believe that Kurama opened a portal leading to the Makai," he said at last, "It seems he escaped into the Demon World, where he knew he would be safe from our pursuits."

Upon seeing the confused faces on Goku and Gojyo, Hakkai began explaining the existence of the different worlds. The Heaven where the gods lived was in effect its own realm, a world different from the world in which humans lived. Not everyone could enter that place, only the gods and spirits of the departed. Sanzo, who had undoubtedly learned all this during his younger years at the temple, paid little to no attention to the explanation.

"The Makai," Hakkai continued, "is a world for inhabited solely by youkai. While youkai and humans lived together in relative peace here until recently, it has been said that in places across the sea to the east, such things were unheard of. Instead, youkai only stepped out of their own realm into this one to feast on human flesh or for other forms of 'fun,' but never with the purpose of living amongst humans."

In Togenkyo, a place known as Paradise, the youkai felt no need to return to the hellish conditions of the Makai. Thus they remained in the Ningenkai, content and happy with their lives. And with each passing generation, their ties to the Makai faded to nothing but a vague memory. As time passed, the number of portals connecting the two worlds decreased, as did the knowledge of how to open them. So that was why while three members of the party were theoretically demons and the remaining member was the highest of monks, none of them knew how to reopen the portal to the Makai.

"I guess there's nothing we can do right now," Hakkai said with a sigh. "Why don't we go back to the inn and plan from there, Sanzo?"

Sanzo was reluctant but he knew that it was the best idea at the moment so he nodded.

The four of them got back into the Jeep and drove back to the town in silence. Sanzo was in a worse mood than normal and decided to resort to chain-smoking to relieve some of his anger. Gojyo simply lied down in the back of the Jeep and tried to get some sleep. Goku, however, seemed to go back to dwelling on his own guilt again.

Hakkai noticed this and could help but feel sorry for the boy. If he had been in the same position, he would probably be thinking the same things. _Then again, I wonder if Sanzo cares enough about my life to trade the scripture for the antidote,_ he thought to himself, half joking and half serious. "Goku, you're not blaming yourself again, are you?"

"But it's all my fault!" the teenager said, "If I hadn't gotten myself poisoned, we would still have the scripture."

"Stop your yapping!" Sanzo yelled, so suddenly that it surprised everyone in the Jeep. "It's giving me a headache." He then went back to smoking his cigarette in silence.

Hakkai smiled a little and then turned his attention back to Goku. "You know it's not your fault, Goku," he said, "No one saw it coming so how could any of us have avoided it? Like Gojyo said before, you actually saved the rest of us."

"But the scripture's gone and we needed it for our mission," Goku replied in a soft voice, "We can't even get it back now. You should have just ignored it all and gone on without me." The last part was said barely louder than a whisper but nevertheless, everyone heard it.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Sanzo asked in an angry tone, "One more word out of you and I'll shoot you in the fucking head."

While he only smiled at Sanzo's last comment, Hakkai could not help but chuckle at this one. "Sanzo's right, Goku," he said, "Let's not dwell on what happened. We should be trying to figure out how to get the scripture back; that's our mission at the moment."

After spending the last few years living and traveling with Sanzo, Goku knew better than to argue any longer. He also knew to never take Sanzo's treats lightly; if the monk said he would shoot Goku, then he would actually shoot Goku. With that in mind, the teenager made himself comfortable in the back in Jeep, much like Gojyo did. His body was still suffering from the poison so he decided to rest, allowing his natural healing abilities and the antidote to fight off the last traces of the poison. Before he realized, he drifted off into a deep sleep as the Jeep drove on.

When Goku woke up, he was no longer lying on the hard metal of the Jeep but on a soft bed back at the inn. Gojyo was sitting at the table, mindless shuffling a deck of playing cards. Sanzo was also at the table, holding a newspaper in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Hakkai was not in the room.

"I see that you're finally awake, saru," Gojyo said. Apparently he noticed that Goku's eyes were opened. "Good timing, too. Hakkai went downstairs to get us some dinner."

The door opened and Hakkai walked in carrying a tray full of food. Goku's stomach made a sound of protest as the smell quickly filled the room. He was at one of the empty chairs at the table before Hakkai could even place the tray down.

"Eager as usual, aren't you, Goku?" the healer teased.

The teenager did not answer because his mouth was already full with food. He merely nodded as he continued to stuff his face with whatever he could get his hands on. After a smack from Sanzo's harisen to Goku's head, the rest of them settled down to eat. And for the brief time, it was as if nothing had changed. Goku and Gojyo stilled bickered over who would get the last piece of pork. Sanzo threatened the two with bullets and Hakkai played his role as the peacemaker. But when the last of the food was gone and the table cleared, they inevitable had to return to reality.

"We need a plan," Hakkai stated, "and for that, we need some information first."

"Information?" Gojyo asked, "Like what?"

"Like who Kurama was working for, if anyone," the healer answered, frowning. "Since we've pretty much established that he's not one of Kougaiji's men, it will be harder to find the scripture."

"Given enough time, it could end up anywhere," Sanzo said.

Goku's eyes widened when the gravity of the situation hit him. Up until now, he had harbored the belief that they would just simply find the scripture and get it back. Now…

Hakkai nodded. "In the Ningenkai and the Makai. One of the Founding Scriptures would fetch a good amount of fame and fortune, which is probably why Kurama sought after it."

"So we either follow Kurama into the Makai, find him, and fast," Gojyo said, "or we somehow get that youko to come back to us?"

Neither option was logical for the group. The Makai was large and foreign to them all. Even if they found a way to open a portal and enter the Demon World, it could take years, if ever, to find Kurama. And if they did somehow manage to find the youko, fighting him for the scripture in his own world would be highly unfavorable for them. The latter option, however, sounded even more preposterous. Why would Kurama ever come back with the scripture?

"I'm not liking our chances right now," Gojyo added.

- - -

Two figures, one male and one female, watched as the four of them fell asleep without reaching a plan.

"Shouldn't you help them?" the male asked.

"And spoil all the fun I'd have watching them struggle?" the female answered, grinning.

A sigh. "They might not be able to get through this one without some help." He paused and waited for a response. When none came, he said, "If you won't lift a lazy finger, I will. And trust me, I won't make it amusing for you watch."

"Ah, fine!" she conceded with a pout that made her look almost ridiculous. "Spoil-sport."

"I did not travel all the way over here just to see you do nothing," he said sternly, "And they're not the only ones that have something to lose in this."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," replied the female. She turned to her companion and poured him a cup of tea. "Since when did you get so serious, Inari?"

The fox god accepted the cup and took a drink. "I can't be playful all the time, now can I, Kanzeon Bosatsu?" he answered with a smirk, "After all, we gods have certain responsibilities."

The Merciful Goddess gave a smirk of her own. "Well, if you had been more careful with a certain silver youko of yours, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"What can I say?" Inari said, "Kurama is certainly a special one."

* * *

As I've mentioned, I wrote myself into a corner after Kurama got away and so I had to resort to lame ideas. I mean, this is a true _deus ex machina_. I could not think of any other plausible way to solve the problem and thus, the gods. I'm just not creative enough... 

I find it interesting how Chinese and Japanese myths are so similar but with a lot of differences, too (ie. gods, demons). And all the interpretations of those myths that were materialized in these two anime were, again, similar but with differences. I tried to combine them logically so they somewhat made sense. I hope I succeeded to some extent.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: Sorry for the long delay.

Note: italics indicate thoughts. Usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Eight 

Morning came all too quickly. Over a quick and somber breakfast, they discussed what they needed to do. Since none of the planning they did last night led them anywhere, they chose to settle on what they could do: research. They needed to find out everything they could about the Makai. It was possibly that in their search, a way to open a portal, or perhaps how to summon a demon, could be found.

"There's a temple at the western edge of town," Sanzo stated, "If we're gonna find anything about the Makai, the most likely place would be in the temple's libraries."

The four of them drove to the temple and of course, once the monks saw that it was the great Genjo Sanzo Hoshi seeking to see their libraries, they were given full access. Sanzo sent the monks away so their search could be conducted in private. Then with Hakkai's help, he proceeded to find every scroll and book that could possibly contain information on the Makai.

There was not much information to be found. Most of the scrolls and books gave a brief background on the Demon World but nothing specific or useful. One of the books listed places in Togenkyo that had possible portals, but it was written so long ago that most of the portals have probably disappeared. And it still left them with the problem of actually _opening_ a portal.

"Oh!" exclaimed Goku, pointing at words on the scroll in front of him, "I think this one says something about how to summon a demon from the Makai."

"Let me see that, Goku," Hakkai said, reaching for the scroll. He scanned the contents for a while but eventually sighed and shook his head. "It only says that humans in the past have succeeded in summoning mindless, low-class youkai but the scroll doesn't specify how." He rolled up the scroll and placed it in a large pile with all the other rejected ones. "Even if it did, the information wouldn't have helped," the healer added, "Kurama was by no means mindless or low-class."

"Ah, how much longer are we gonna do this?" Gojyo yelled in frustration, "We've been here all day!"

"Harahetta!" Goku decided to join in on the complaining.

"Quit your whining!" Sanzo screamed, harisen in hand, "We'll stay here until we finish going through everything."

Gojyo and Goku grumbled something about cranky priests and stupid fans but they got back to working through the pile.

Though Sanzo would not show it on the outside, but inside, he was in utter turmoil. He felt a wide range of emotions, from shame to rage to worry. Shame because he had not only lost the _second_ scripture passed down from his master, but he had personally placed it at the thief's feet. He felt rage towards Kurama, towards the whole situation and towards himself for being so utterly helpless as everything fell apart. And Sanzo was worried. They had already read half of the scrolls and books and found absolutely nothing. And they simply did not have the time to travel from town to town, temple to temple, until they found a solution. The scripture seemed to be slipping further and further away.

Five hours later, Sanzo finally had to face the truth as he placed down the last scroll. Goku and Gojyo had fallen asleep about an hour ago, and even Hakkai seemed on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

Hakkai looked over at Sanzo and gave a long sigh. "Shall we call it a day?"

Sanzo nodded, walked over to the sleeping duo and promptly smacked both of them in the head. "Wake up, you idiots!" he demanded, "We're leaving."

- - -

When the world below was dark and asleep, two heavenly figures descended onto Earth in two beams of light. They materialized in front of a small restaurant and inn situated in the center of a small Chinese town. Kanzeon Bosatsu looked over at her companion god and made a mocking gesture, indicating for him to go first. Inari smirked at the motion but nevertheless, he did what he was told.

It was simple enough for the two deities to unlock the doors to the restaurant and move up the stairs. They did not so much as walk as glide soundlessly to the room of the person they wished to see. Without any hesitation, the two of them opened the door and entered.

Genjo Sanzo was sleeping on the bed with his back turned towards the door. Though he could not see or hear the intruders, he could feel them getting closer and closer to him. His hand found his gun underneath the covers and gripped onto it tightly as the intruders grew ever near. When he felt them stop just beside his bed, he flipped over and aimed the gun at the closest figure.

The monk almost pulled the trigger when he saw the familiar figure of a youko. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the gun was taken from his hands in the blink of an eye. With the gun and scripture both gone, Sanzo was weaponless. And with two people in his room in the middle of the night, the monk was outnumbered and unprepared.

_Kurama? Why is he here?_ "What do you want?" Sanzo demanded.

"Don't worry, Hoshi-san," a deep male voice answered, "We're not here to hurt you. Actually, we're here to help."

The sudden brightness from the lights being turned on momentarily blinded Sanzo. When his eyes finally adjusted themselves, he saw that his first assumptions where wrong. Instead of the familiar silver fox demon, the youko that stood in front of him was golden in color. And behind him stood the annoying figure of the Goddess of Mercy, with that all-knowing look on her face that Sanzo hates so much.

"Now that you're alert," Kanzeon Bosatsu said, "I suggest you wake up your lackeys and get them in here. We have lots to talk about."

Roughly five minutes later, all four members of the Sanzo-ikkou were sitting in Sanzo's room. Gojyo was barely awake and Goku was nodding off every ten seconds. Hakkai started a pot of tea for himself and Sanzo. The monk himself was busy glaring at the two deities in front of him.

"We're all here," Sanzo growled, "Now what the fuck do you want?"

"Testy as always, I see," the goddess replied, "But before we start, I think introductions are in order." She waved one elegant hand towards the golden god's direction. "This is Inari, the patron god of foxes in the land east of here."

"Why are you here?" Sanzo did not care for the pleasantries. The scripture was stolen, their searches that day turned out to be fruitless and now, he could not even get a decent night's sleep. "If you have nothing important to say, get the fuck out and let me sleep."

Hakkai stepped in before Sanzo went too far and really angered the two deities. He offered them some tea and apologized for the monk's harsh words. "However," he added, "we are all curious as to the reason you came."

"As Inari told Sanzo before, we're here to help." Kanzeon Bosatsu pulled up a chair and accepted the cup of tea that Hakkai handed to her. "We know that you have recently lost the Maten Scripture and we are here to help you retrieve it." She took a sip from the cup.

The other members of the group looked over at Sanzo with slight anticipation but mostly with dread. They knew that Sanzo's pride would not allow him to accept help so easily, especially from the gods that he never placed any faith on.

"We don't need your help."

And they were not disappointed.

"I beg to differ." This time, Inari spoke. "You need all the help you can get right now." He paused when Sanzo scoffed at his last remark. "I'm sure you understand quite well how difficult – or more likely impossible – it would be for you to undertake this search by yourselves. The easiest and best way for you to get back the scripture would be to go back to the source of its disappearance."

"And you're saying that Kurama will just _happen_ to come back and tell us _exactly_ where the scripture is?" the monk said sarcastically, "Or will you wave your magical hands and have him materialize in front of us right now?"

Though Kanzeon Bosatsu warned him about this, Inari's patience was wearing thin. "Don't mock a god, _human_." His golden eyes flashed as a warning for pushing him too far.

Sanzo was not impressed but he did restrain from responding to the threat.

To break the tension, Hakkai asked the question that had been on his mind for a while now. "Why are you helping us now? I was under the impression that the gods only watched and do not directly interfere with the lives of humans."

"Normally, that would be true," Inari explained, "but this is a special case."

"How?" Gojyo got sick of being silent and decided to join the conversation. "No one came down to help us when Homura stole it."

"Yeah!" Goku, who up until now could not contribute anything to the conversation, spoke up as well. "We didn't get any help with Kami-sama, either."

"This will take a while to explain so sit there quietly and listen carefully," Kanzeon Bosatsu said with a serious face. "The Jade Emperor reigns and rules over this land, but it is not so in the East. There, the deity known as Enma-daioh rules over the Reikai, the Makai and the Ningenkai. When the incident concerning Gyoumao and his resurrection began, Enma-daioh issued a law that forbids anyone from cross the borders of the worlds."

"And Kurama broke this law when came to the human world," Inari added.

"Of course, Enma-daioh does not wish for Gyumao's resurrection any more than the gods here," the Merciful Goddess continued. "Even if mission succeeds, any hindrance due to Kurama will reflect back to Enma and his inability to control his subjects. This would prove to be a problem later on between Enma-daioh and the Jade Emperor."

Hakkai nodded at this reasoning. "So this proves to be a political problem between the gods as well," he said. "I see how you would want to resolve the situation as fast as possible."

"So exactly what will you be doing to help us?" Sanzo asked, wanting to get this "meeting" done with as soon as possible.

Kanzeon Bosatsu smiled at the question. "We're going to help you summon a demon."

Before Sanzo could open his mouth and make a snide remark, Inari stepped forward and started explaining the complicated process. The spell is long and complicated, often too difficult for decipher. However, with the gods' help, Sanzo should have no problem reciting the spell. Normally, summoning a high-class demon from the Makai requires a great amount of power, as well as a sacrifice of some kind. He then took out a pair of silver arm bracers from inside his robes and placed them in front of the monk.

"These bracers have a small amount of Inari's power fused in them," the Merciful Goddess explained. "Not only will they serve as a source of power, but because it is Inari's power, it has a stronger pull on Kurama than the power of any other god. This will eliminate the need for a sacrifice."

"Why bracers?" Goku asked, staring at them with curiosity.

"Good question, you little monkey." Kanzeon Bosatsu almost laughed at Goku's angry glare. She reached over and picked up one of the arm bracers. "There is a spell cast on these and if Sanzo speaks a certain chant, the bracers will cause excruciating pain for the wearer. This way, Kurama can be controlled until the scripture is retrieved." The goddess looked over at Sanzo and added, "Try not to get carried away with them."

The monk almost smiled. "Of course."

"I have one condition," the golden god interjected, "And if ignored, there will be dire consequences." He paused and stared at each of the four members, waiting for an answer. When the four of them slowly nodded, Inari continued. "Kurama is not to be killed or severely harmed."

"You have a particular love for his youko?" Sanzo asked nonchalantly.

"Not especially," Inari answered, "but he has a destiny that he has yet to fulfill."

* * *

This was the chapter I really dreaded to write, just because this whole arm bracer idea seemed a bit odd. And this was probably why it took me so long to write. If you can get past this weird idea, the rest of the story should be fine. 

Also, I kind of got the idea from the original story. Goku's coronet was meant to work in the way I described the bracers. When Sanzo chanted a special phrase, Goku's coronet constricted and caused the Monkey King so much pain that he listened to whatever his master said.

This story has almost 1,500 hits. I'm so surprised and happy. Thank you to everyone who's reading this story!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: Instead of studying for my multi-variable calc test, I wrote this. Makes up for the really long wait for chapter 8, no?

Note: italics indicate thoughts. Usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Nine 

The morning dew was still present when they returned to the clearing in which they made the exchange. As the last criteria for the summoning, they needed something of the subject's to tie the ritual to him specifically. So they returned to the forest, hoping to find a fur or hair sample. With the early morning sunlight streaming through the trees, the silver strand of hair was easy to find. It practically blinded them with its shiny gleam.

"His long hair could be the death of him," Gojyo commented as he placed the hair and the silver arm bracers in the center of the pentagram they carved into the ground.

"Does that mean you'll be cutting your hair soon?" asked Hakkai, a somewhat devious smile on his face.

Gojyo's hand went to his own long tresses and looked worriedly over at Hakkai. "Stay away from my hair, Hakkai," he warned, "I better not see you within ten feet of me with a pair of scissors."

The healer laughed at the remark.

"Cut your chit-chat and let's get this over with," barked Sanzo, ever annoyed to be up this early in the morning.

Gojyo stepped outside the pentagram and everyone stepped away from it, except for Sanzo. The monk stood at one of the points of the star. He closed his eyes and started to chant the spell that Inari and Kanzeon Bosatsu gave him the night before. As his words echoed through the clearing, the lines making up the pentagram started to glow an eerie blue. A vortex of wind erupted from the center of the star, swirling violently upwards. Sparks of power began to crackle around the silver bracers. Sanzo's voice continued to elevate as the chanting progressed and just as he reached the pinnacle, the pentagram seemed to explode. When the smoke cleared, the figure of youko could be seen in the center of the star.

To say that Kurama was shocked would have been a grave understatement. One second, he was walking peacefully through the plains of the Makai, minding his own business. And the next, he was standing in the middle of a forest in the Ningenkai. Before he could figure out what had happened, there was a gun aimed at his head. A very familiar gun.

"Hisashiburi desu ne, Kurama?" the holder of the gun asked.

Kurama attempted to answer but he seemed to have lost his voice. He stared at the monk in bewilderment and decided that if he was going to die, he would rather not do so with Sanzo's murderous glare burned into his mind. The youko let his eyes wander elsewhere, only to find the same bloodthirsty looks on the faces of the other three people present. _Obviously not a happy group,_ he joked to himself. Kurama chose to look downward and found that he had acquired some new accessories. His eyes focused on the silver bracers around his arms. _At least I'll die looking good._

"I see you like your new 'gift'," Sanzo commented. "I know _I'm_ going to have a lot of fun with them." The smile on his face was downright scary. "Now, where's the scripture?"

Kurama mentally sighed a little. _They won't kill me until they find their scripture._ With the realization, his cocky attitude returned a little, displacing the initial fear and panic. "I don't see what I get out of it if I tell you."

Sanzo's smile grew wider and scarier. "I was hoping you'd say that." He raised his left hand in front of his chest, and without lowering the gun, he began to chant.

The youko had one second to look confused before pain engulfed his entire body, starting from his arms. He stared down and noticed that the bracers were glowing bright white and getting brighter with each second. The pain was so intense that Kurama forgot to breathe. He only had enough energy to gasp out a single "Stop!" before he fell down to his knees, his legs no longer able to support his body.

_Oh, this is fun._ The monk did eventually stop but not before letting Kurama writhe a bit more in pain. "I'll ask again," Sanzo said, "Where is the scripture?"

Kurama took a few seconds to regain his breath. "I sold it already," he finally answered in a labored manner.

"Here or in the Makai?" Hakkai asked. By this time, the rest of the team had joined their fearless leader in the center of the pentagram. "Human or demon?"

"A demon here in the Ningenkai." Kurama was slowly regaining the ability of his lungs.

"What was his name?" Sanzo demanded, "What did he look like?"

The youko shook his head a little. "He didn't say his name and I didn't care. He was ahairy and stupid-looking. Some sort of lion demon, I think." Kurama sat up when his head stopped hurting so much. "He must've desperately wanted that scripture because he paid a lot for it. Stupid guy but a good buyer."

"Well, at least it's not Kougaiji," Goku said, "That's good, right?"

"Baka, it was probably one of his many lackies," Gojyo said.

"Regardless," Hakkai added, "we have to get it back as soon as possible, while we can still track it down."

"Let's get going, then," Sanzo ordered, already walking towards the direction of the Jeep. "And make sure to bring the youko; we still need him."

Kurama could not even process the chain of events before he was lifted up by both arms by Goku and Gojyo and none-too-gently dragged to the back of the Jeep. They plopped him down, again none-too-gently, and then they got in themselves.

"What's going on?" the youko asked, "Where are you taking me? I've told you everything. I'm of no further use to you." Kurama was truly confused. If they were not going to kill him, then what were they going to do?

"Oh, did we forget to mention?" Hakkai answered in a mocking tone, a sadistic smile on his face, "Those bracers around your arms will stay on until we get the scripture back. So you either help us get back what you stole, or you will remain a slave to Sanzo-sama for as long as he lives."

The shock of the statement silenced Kurama for a long time. When he finally did regain the use of his voice, he just laughed. "You're joking, right?" he asked, "Me? A slave to a mere human? I'd rather die first."

"That can be arranged," Sanzo remarked, "But in the meanwhile, I think I'll amuse myself by causing you intense amounts of pain."

The blood in Kurama's face drained as he remembered the pain from earlier. As much as he hated the idea of being a servant, he hated pain even more. And as much as he hated the idea of helping Sanzo regain something he worked so hard to steal, there was no way the youko could survive being the monk's slave for long. Kurama had no choice but to do what he was told for now. "I'll help you track down the scripture," he grumbled.

"As if you had a choice," the monk said.

"Just keep your end of the deal."

- - -

"What an adorable fox you have!" exclaimed the female clerk at the inn as the Sanzo-ikkou entered.

With Kurama's obvious youkai features, the youko could not freely walk around in the towns. Therefore, he was in his furrier form and was currently balancing himself on Goku's shoulders. The monkey's bizarre-looking shoulder pads served as decent support.

"Room for four," Sanzo said, "And some food brought up."

"Right away," answered the clerk. "Would you like something extra for the animals?"

Kurama's ears perked up at the question.

"Some milk for the dragon," the monk replied, "Nothing for the fox."

And then his ears promptly drooped down at the answer.

The group walked up to their room and put down their bags. Each chose a bed and started to unpack what they needed. Kurama jumped down from Goku's shoulders and landed on the bed the teenager chose. For some reason, the youngest in the group treated him with the least amount of hostility, regardless of the fact that just a while ago, the youko almost killed him. Not to mention that Kurama tied up Sanzo with his vines and threatened his life. This unusual and unexpected behavior aroused the fox's never-ending curiosity.

Goku had just taken out his toothbrush when he felt something nudging his side. He looked down to see two big golden eyes staring right at him. He barely contained the urge to say "Kawaii!" before looking back at his bag, seemingly fascinated with the seams that held it together.

Kurama, of course, was not deterred by this reaction; in fact, he was encouraged by it. He nudged Goku again. When the teenager refused to acknowledge it, he brushed his tails along Goku's arm.

Goku quickly retreated his arm, laughing. "Stop that, it tickles," he said.

Never one to follow orders, Kurama did it again. This time, Goku tried to bat away the tails. It only served to drive Kurama to try harder. Pretty soon, the two of them were playfully wrestling with one another, the teenager laughing and the fox yelping in joy.

"Aww, isn't that cute?" Gojyo teased, "Two animals playing."

Both Goku and Kurama ignored him.

"Quit goofing around!" Sanzo barked, "And transform back. You're getting fur everywhere."

Knowing that not doing so would probably earn him a great amount of pain, Kurama jumped off of Goku and transformed to his youko form. After the change, he went back to sit next to the monkey on his bed, which looked a bit ridiculous since the youko was nearing seven feet tall while Goku was not even six feet.

The tail fascinated Goku to no end. When its fur brushed his arm earlier, it was incredible soft. He wondered if it felt differently in the youko form so he reached his hand over to touch it. "Wow, it's so silky," he said in wonderment. "Sanzo, you gotta come feel this."

"Like hell," the monk replied.

"Goku, have you completely forgotten that he almost killed you with one of his poisons?" Gojyo asked.

"It's not like I meant to do it," Kurama said before Goku had a chance, "It was an accident, really."

"What do you mean?" the monkey asked, "You didn't mean to put the poison in the food?"

"Oh no, I meant to do that," the fox answered, "But I didn't intend for you to take it all. Had the drug been spread to the four of you, the dosage wouldn't have caused death. The symptoms would have been mild but enough for me to grab the scripture with little to no resistance."

"Wouldn't it have been easier for you if you just killed us all?" Hakkai inquired.

"My fame wouldn't spread if my victims aren't alive to tell everyone who stole their treasure, would it?" Kurama stated. "I had planned on having everyone drink the soup but Goku drank it all down before anyone else had the chance. After that, I could only try to use the situation to my advantage. It was nothing against Goku personally."

Not able to pass off the new opportunity, Gojyo taunted Goku about the bottomless pit he calls a stomach. This, of course, started another one of the many pointless arguments between the two. Sanzo did not even bother to warn them before he fired two shots in their direction. After a moment's thought, he decided to fire another bullet in Kurama's direction as well, just for good measure.

The whizzing bullet missed Kurama's face by a few centimeters. "What was that for?" he screamed.

"Because you started this!" Sanzo yelled back. "And because I just felt like it."

Unsure of what to say, Kurama turned back at the other victims of the shooting. "Is he always like this?" the youko asked.

The two of them nodded in unison.

Suddenly, Kurama no longer felt as sure about his future as he did before. _Inari-sama,_ he prayed, not knowing that it was that very god that put him in this situation, _it'll be a miracle if I survive this._

* * *

1) I wrote this in one day. I'm so proud. 

2) Forgive the small amount of fangirl Japanese. I just thought "Hisashiburi desu ne" sounded cooler than "Long time no see". Hope that didn't annoy too many people.

3) With Goku's not-so-great memory and his natural playfulness, it wouldn't be entirely implausible for him to make "friends" with Kurama so quickly. Plus, foxes are cute and as the kitten episode in Reload demonstrated, the Sanzo-ikkou are susceptible to cute.

4) The story might be longer than I orginally planned. Won't really know until I'm done writing, though.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: Sorry for the long dealy. Enjoy?

Note: italics indicate thoughts. Usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Ten

Kurama was shocked awake by the same sharp pain he was subjected to the previous day. Even through the pain, he could clearly see Sanzo's evil smirk as the monk watched the fox. After the spell stopped, along with his writhing body, Kurama focused enough to transform back into his youko form.

"I see you're awake," Sanzo said, the smirk never leaving his face, "Did you sleep well?"

The glare Kurama sent in the blonde's direction and the cracking of his spine were the only replies the youko gave. The floor was hard and extremely uncomfortable to sleep on, especially without any sort of cushioning. Kurama did start the night on the corner of Goku's bed and when the teenager did not protest, he stayed there. Two hours later, though, the fox discovered that the floor was a much better option to being pummeled by the sleeping monkey when he tossed and turned.

"Hakkai, wake up the monkey," the monk ordered, disregarding the youko's glare. "We're leaving as soon as he gets up." He looked back at Kurama. "And where will we be going today?"

"How should I know?" Kurama scoffed, "I thought you had all the answers, Sanzo-sama."

The blonde did not even bother to give a warning before chanting the spell again. He kept it up for thirty seconds, enough to subdue what little rebellious attitude Kurama had left. "Do I need to ask again?" he demanded when he was sure the youko was listening.

Two tortuous episodes before noon were more than enough for Kurama to get the point. "The fastest way for me to track down the scripture is to track down the buyer," he gasped out, still getting over the pain, "And for that, we should start at where I made the sale. The place is west of here, about a day's travel away. We should reach it before nightfall if we make good speed." Though it pained him to admit it, Kurama had to commit to being their guide to end his current enslavement. _The faster I lead them to the scripture, the faster I get these stupid things off of me,_ he decided.

After waking Goku, which took the efforts of both Hakkai and Gojyo, they piled back into the Jeep. Kurama decided to remain in his fox form; not only did it reduce the amount of space taken up, but he really liked the way Goku was combing through his fur. If foxes could purr, Kurama would be doing so. The monkey seemed content with running his fingers through the soft fur and he was absolutely fascinated with its silver color.

"You know, if anyone was to look at the two of you right now, they would think you were the best of friends," Gojyo commented, "They never would've thought that you two were really enemies."

"We're not enemies," Goku answered, "We're on the same side now. Kurama's helping us find the scripture, remember?"

The fox gave a nod, agreeing with Goku's statement.

"It's not like he's doing it because he wants to," the redhead rebutted, "If it weren't for those these around his arms, he wouldn't even be here."

"But that's not the case, is it?" The monkey was not about to let the kappa get the last word. "He _is_ here and he _is_ helping us, and that's what matters right now."

When the argument escalated, Sanzo was forced to quiet them down yet again. As the two people and the fox cowered in fear in the back, the monk could not help but reflect on Goku's earlier remarks. It was just like the monkey to forget things so easily and make friends with even his rivals and enemies. The same thing happened over and over again with Kougaiji and even Homura. The innocence of Goku allowed him to see the best in everyone; Goku would not be Goku if it were any other way. Therefore, it was only natural that the monkey has already befriended Kurama. Sanzo, however, was not one to forgive or forget so easily.

"It seems they've fallen asleep, Sanzo," Hakkai said, breaking the monk out of his thoughts.

Sanzo glanced back and sure enough, they were all dozing away. Gojyo was lying on his side, his head cushioned by his arm. Goku in a slouched position with the fox curled up on his stomach. Sanzo's gaze lingered on the Kurama longer than it was necessary and the fox perked up slightly when he felt Sanzo's eyes on him. The monk exchanged a look with the fox that promised a slow, painful death if he should betray Sanzo. Kurama gave a small nod, let out a long yawn and curled back into his sleeping position.

_Message received, Sanzo,_ the fox thought, _No harm will come to you little monkey. At least not from me._ Goku's steady breathing rhythm soon lulled him to sleep.

- - -

"This is it," Kurama said, once again in his youko form. "I made the sale here."

"Now what?" Goku asked.

Kurama smiled. "We're in luck," he answered, "The youki is still detectable. I should be able to track it."

"Huh?" The monkey was confused again.

The youko gave out a long sigh. _Seriously, are they really demons?_ "Youki is the energy that all youkai have," he started to explain, "The greater the youki a demon has, the stronger that demon is. Each youkai have his or her own energy signature so it is possible track demons using youki."

"So what we felt when you used your powers was your youki?" Gojyo asked.

Kurama nodded.

"Why didn't we feel you when you put the poison in the food?" inquired Hakkai.

The youko chuckled softly. "You can't survive long in the Makai without learning how to mask your youki," he explained, "It could be the difference between life and death." He proceeded to point at the three with demon blood in them. "You youkai here have lived peacefully for so long that you no longer take the precautions of hiding your youki. In this case, however, I suppose it's a good thing you guys don't know it." Kurama started walking towards the Jeep. "Let's go. I've already picked out the buyer's distinctive youki. He's west of here."

When they all piled back into the Jeep, Goku started his inquiries again. "Hey, can you teach us how to hide our youki?" he asked, excited, "And how to track other demons?"

Kurama looked at the eager, wide-eyed look on the monkey's face and almost laughed. The boy seemed ready to pounce out of the back of Jeep in anticipation of learning something new. "Why should I do that?" he asked in a teasing tone, "So you can use it against me later? I'd rather not help my enemies."

Goku frowned slightly at the comment. "But didn't we already say that we weren't enemies anymore? You're helping us now."

The trusting innocence of Goku still surprised Kurama. _That attitude of his towards everyone will really get him killed someday,_ the youko thought. But Kurama could not help but admire the monkey for it; his kind of almost childish purity was unheard of in the Makai. "You're right," the youko admitted, "I suppose there's no harm in teaching you, then."

The teenager nodded his head vigorously.

It turned out that teaching the hyperactive Goku was harder than it seemed. Kurama spent hours explaining and demonstrating ways to hone in on a target's youki but when truth of the fact was, the monkey simply could not muster the patience to actually concentrate and learn. After about two hours of this – and many smacks on the head by Sanzo for annoying him with their antics – the youko gave up. Of course, Goku then whined and complained until Kurama tried again and again to teach the teenager. This resulted in more head-bashing from Sanzo's harisen and quite a few death threats. By the time they reached a suitable camping site for the night, Kurama had a headache the size of Togenkyo.

"Kurama, this is so hard!" Goku complained for the hundredth time that day, "I thought you said it'd be easy to learn."

_It would be if you could settle down and concentrate,_ Kurama replied mentally. "I think we've done enough for today," he said instead, "Let's get something to eat and get some sleep. It's been a long day."

At the mention of food, Goku forgot all about learning. He bounded over to Hakkai who was just unpacking the food he bought for this leg of the journey. Shouts of "Harahetta!" were soon heard all over the campsite. Kurama sighed in relief at finally having a moment to himself. In his happiness, he almost did not notice the youki quickly approaching their little camp.

The attack came soon enough but by that time, Kurama had already casually mentioned the large group of youkai coming towards them. The demons, who had expected the attack to be a surprise, were disappointed to find the four members of the Sanzo-ikkou ready and waiting of them in the middle of the camp. Of course, that did not deter them from demanding that Sanzo hand over the scripture or perish.

"Honestly, do you guys ever get new lines?" Gojyo mocked, "I've heard this one at least a million times."

"Urusai!" the leader of the pack shouted, "You gonna hand over the scripture or do we have to kill you first?"

"We don't have it anymore," Goku announced, "so leave already. We were just about to have dinner."

Of course the monkey would think about food at a time like this, Kurama thought as he watched the interaction.

"You expect us to believe that crap?" Again, it was the leader. The rest of them just shouted noises of agreement from behind him.

"But it's the truth," Goku insisted.

"If you're not going to give it up, I guess we'll just have to take it from you!" The leader turned back to his troops and announced the attack.

Before Goku could protest again, the wave of demons were set upon him and the rest of the group. Seeing no other way to get out of it, the four of them engage in battle, taking out the youkai left and right like seasoned professionals. Kurama, being an unrecognizable outsider, was mostly left alone. The youko thus chose to stand at the sidelines and watched the whole thing.

Sanzo, of course, did not approve of Kurama's slacking. "Get your ass over here," he demanded between firing another round of bullets.

"Ah, but I think I prefer it over here, Sanzo," the youko answered with a smile, "It's so much more peaceful than where you are."

"I can chant just as easily in the middle of a battle," the monk threatened, "You'll be easy-pickings when you're writhing in pain rather than defending yourself."

Kurama ground his teeth but knew when to give in. Again. As long as these shackles were around his wrists, there was limit to how much he could freely do. "Better get this over with, then," he said as he reached into his long silver hair.

When Sanzo saw the red rose that Kurama pulled out of his hair, he almost shot the youko. "I said fight them, not court them!" he yelled.

Kurama completely ignored the monk's comment and proceeded to simply jump into the middle of the fighting. Sanzo watched as the rose in the youko's hand elongated and transformed into a long whip with sharp thorns adorning it. The youko then went on to use that whip with the precision and skill of a master, weeding down the youkai around him with just the simple movements of his wrist. Even the stoic monk was impressed by Kurama's abilities in battle.

With the five of them fighting together, it did not take long to defeat the demon group. After it was over, they spent a few moments surveying their surroundings just to make sure there were no stranglers out there. Then they returned to the Jeep and went back on their way, as if they had not just killed a pile of demons.

"Anou, I was wondering," Hakkai said, breaking the silence that had fallen up on the group, "perhaps it would be wise not to mention to Kougaiji's minions that we no longer have the scripture. He might start looking for it elsewhere and find it before us."

"It's not like they ever believe us," Gojyo interjected, "Besides, there's rarely any survivors in the end so Kougaiji will never hear about it."

"Still…" Hakkai was still not convinced.

"Don't worry so much right now," Kurama interrupted, "Kougaiji, or whoever, doesn't have the scripture yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to send anyone after you guys." He found a comfortable position at the back of the Jeep and lied down, ready to relax after the workout. "We still have time."

"Ne, Kurama?" Goku practically yelled into the youko's face, "That thing you did with the flower and then the whip was so cool! Do you think you could teach me?"

_Kami-sama, help!_ Kurama prayed to anyone who would listen to his plea.

* * *

I deviated from my original story outline so that's why this chapter took so long (that and homework, midterms and overall writer's block/laziness). Originally, I had planned on ending the story by chapter ten, but then I decided that certain things needed to be added.

Just wanted to add a note concerning Goku. I know I'm not portraying him as such but I think he's a really complex character. He's playful but can get really serious. He can be very childish but also very mature. He's innocent and trusting, despite being trapped in a mountain cage for centuries and fighting demons day in and day out. So I'm trying (and mostly failing) to put a bit of all his other attributes in with his usual childish, playful character. Just thought I'd put that in there 'cause I love Goku.

I haven't been really asking but please review?


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: Last official chapter! Please enjoy.

Note: italics indicate thoughts. Usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Chapter Eleven

After the sixth group of youkai in three days, Kurama was at the edge of his patience. When the seventh group showed up, the youko did not even wait for them to declare their demands on Sanzo. He simply jumped out of the back of Jeep and deftly landed in the middle of all the demons. The youkai barely registered the movement.

"Fuuka Enbu Jin!" Kurama shouted.

A swarm of rose petals erupted around Kurama and fluttered there for mere moments before exploding outwards. The youkai were not even given the chance to scream before the razor sharp edges of the petals cut through them all. In less than a minute, the corpses of all the demons littered the ground around the solitary silver youko.

Kurama hopped over their bodies and jumped back into the Jeep. "Let's go," he said simply and closed his eyes, ready to take a nice nap. When the Jeep did not move at all, he opened his eyes to see four surprised faces staring at him. "What?" he asked, "You knew it was gonna wind up like that anyway." He closed his eyes again to block out their expressions. "Honestly, I don't know how you guys deal with this stupidity day in and day out."

Luckily – for the youkai and Kurama's temperament – there were no more attacks after that one. News of the Sanzo-ikkou's rampage and rage towards the last few groups must have spread so the youkai groups seemed to have backed off for the moment. After another day of travels, Kurama announced that the youki signal was getting stronger. He estimated another day or two, tops, before they caught up to the demon.

When they settled down that night, they began to discuss the next steps to take. With the demon so close, they needed to plan their moves and options. Up until now, they had assumed that the demon would still have the scripture in hand. If that were the case, it would be simple enough to defeat the demon and take it back. However, there is always the case that he sold it or gave it to someone else. In that likelihood, the best course of actions would to ask questions first and shoot later.

"Ne, Kurama, what do you plan to do after this is all over?" Goku asked as he climbed into his makeshift bed for the night. The skies were clear so there was no need to set up tents.

"I'll head back to the Makai," Kurama answered, "There's no need for me to stick around in the Ningenkai longer than necessary."

"What's the Makai like?" Goku inquired, curious to hear about this land just for demons.

"A hellhole, mostly," the youko said, "It's a cutthroat place to live. Kill or be killed."

Goku was confused by the answer. "If it's such a horrible place, why bother going back there?"

Kurama laughed. "Do you have any idea how boring humans are?" He lied down with his arms supporting his head. "As a fighter, it takes little effort to kill humans. As a thief, it's just too easy to get past their measly securities measures to their so-called treasures. No, this place provides no challenges whatsoever for me."

"We seemed to have caught your eye, though, didn't we?" Hakkai asked, joining the conversation.

The youko smiled at the slightly teasing question. "I have to admit, you guys did peak my interests. When something is said to be impossibly to steal, I just have to prove everyone wrong."

The response earned a slight chuckle from Hakkai. Kurama turned to see why Goku was so silent all of a sudden and found the teenager sound asleep under the covers. When he saw that everyone else was also settling in the night, he transformed back into his furrier form and curled up right next to Goku's now snoring body.

- - -

"I swear, if you don't shut up, I'll shut you up myself!" Shi Wang screamed at his minions in a drunken slur. Ever since he met that mysterious youko, he and his pride of lion youkai have been going a bit crazy with celebratory partying. And they had reason to, since their king now had Sanzo's Maten Scripture in their hands. Kougaiji-sama would surely reward him greatly for it. "Get me another bottle of wine!"

One of his more sober minions got up slowly and walked out of the cave where they camped in for the past two days. He came back thirty seconds later with a panicked look on his face, screaming at the top of his lungs, "They found us! They found us!"

Through the haze of alcohol, the king asked, "Who found us?"

"Sanzo-ikkou!" the minion answered.

Shi Wang spit out the gulp of wine he just took and stared at the entrance in bewilderment. "How?" he demanded, more asking himself than the underling. He looked around at his pride and screamed, "What are you all waiting for? Get ready for battle!"

The lion demons fell over themselves repeatedly trying to find their weapons from all the litter on the cave floor. They barely had enough time to get into some sort of formation before a Jeep stopped right outside their temporary base.

Shi Wang was about to address Sanzo when he saw a very familiar figure get out of the back of the vehicle. "Youko Kurama, what are you doing here?" he asked, his head pounding from everything that is happening around him.

"How do you think they found you?" the youko answered.

"What?" _Seriously, if the world would just stop spinning for one second!_

"Cut the chit-chat," Sanzo scowled, "Where's the scripture."

"It's inside," Shi Wang answered on impulse. He immediately regretted it.

"Well, that was easy," Hakkai commented. He looked over at Sanzo and smiled. "Shall we?"

At Sanzo's nod, the four of them exploded into battle. The pride was caught slightly off-guard by the speed of the attacks and a dozen of them were killed before they truly woke from their drunken stupor. As more of his underlings fell to Sanzo's gun or Goku's staff, the king of the pride became more and more worried. He started shrinking back towards the cave, shoving past his frightened fighters.

"Sanzo, he's getting away!" Goku yelled from amidst a throng of demons.

"I see that," the monk replied, shooting left and right, "but I'm a bit busy right now. Gojyo!"

"I'm busy myself over here," the redhead said as his shaku-jou sliced through the air.

"I'm afraid all our hands are tied at the moment, Sanzo," commented Hakkai.

Shi Wang smirked a little when he realized that there was no way for them to reach him right now. He turned his back on the battle and entered the cave. The king approached his makeshift throne and reached for the scripture he hid behind it. Just as he was about to pick it up, a thick vine appeared from nowhere and grabbed it from in front of him. Shi Wang followed the vine as it shrank away from him and delivered the scripture into the hands of Youko Kurama. Moments later, the Sanzo-ikkou flooded into the cave, stopping right behind the youko.

"You got it?" Sanzo asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I got it right here," Kurama answered, turning around to wave the scripture at the monk.

The lion demon king was so confused and distraught. "Why are you _helping_ them?" he demanded, "You _stole_ that from them in the first place!"

Kurama turned back to face the king with an almost apologetic expression on his face. "Sorry, but I can't spend the next so many years of my life as a servant to an arrogant, corrupt monk."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shi Wang was going slightly crazy from the situation. "I'm not going to let you get away with betraying me like this!" Without anymore preamble, he launched himself at Kurama.

"Rose Whip!"

It was over in two seconds.

- - -

"Thanks for the ride," Kurama said as the Jeep came to a stop. "It would've taken me days to get here on foot."

"It's not like I had a choice when you're holding the scripture hostage," Hakkai joked.

"Hey, all I asked for was a ride to the nearest portal," Kurama joked back, "You knew I'd give it back." He turned to Sanzo and shoved the scripture towards him. "Here it is."

As soon as Sanzo's hand touched the scripture, the bracers on Kurama disappeared. The youko rubbed his newly freed wrists as Sanzo placed the scripture back on his shoulders.

"I just want to get some things straight, okay?" Sanzo said after the scripture was secured. "There is no friendship between the two of us, so if we ever cross paths again, I'll shoot you in the head."

"Aww, that was a touching speech, Sanzo," Kurama replied. "Don't worry. I don't plan on coming back to the Ningenkai in _quite_ a while."

"Hey, if you do come back some time," Goku started, "do you think you could teach me more about the Makai and stuff?"

Kurama simply smiled in answer. He gave a nod of goodbye to everyone, transformed into his kitsune form and scurried off into the direction of the Makai portal. The Sanzo-ikkou watched as his furry silver body disappeared into the black hole.

"You think we'll see him again?" Goku asked after the Jeep started moving again.

"From what Sanzo said, it's probably best for him if we don't," Hakkai replied.

"Let's not talk about that bastard anymore," Sanzo said, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Because of him, we're at least a week behind schedule. We won't be stopping at any towns for the next two weeks thanks to your little friend."

"WHAT?" Goku's screams could be heard for miles as the Jeep drove towards the setting sun.

* * *

This is the last official chapter. I kinda have short omake-epilogue-thing planned so you'll have that to look forward to, I suppose. "Shi Wang" literally means "Lion King" because I found that in _Journey to the West_, the Sanzo-ikkou did have to fight a pride of lion demons. Never found any names, though, so I made stuff up. I'm such a failure as a Chinese person...

I don't know whether I should be happy or sad this story has sequel potentials.


	12. Epilogue

Author's note: Really short and pretty much written just for fun.

Note: italics indicate thoughts. Usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Once Upon a Thief**  
Epilogue 

The bell signifying the end of the school day finally ran, eliciting sighs of relief from a majority of the students. The teacher officially ended the day and excused the class. Kurama, known to his peers as Minamino Shuichi, packed up his things and followed the rest of the students as they filed out of the classroom.

"Minamino-kun! Minamino-kun!"

Kurama stopped when he heard his name and turned to find the speaker. It was Satoshi Arai, one of his classmates from literature class. "Satoshi-kun," the redhead addressed the other teenager, "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering how well you did on the last literature test," Satoshi asked.

Kurama was a bit confused by the request but he answered nonetheless. "I got a perfect. Why do you ask?"

"I didn't do so well," the teenager admitted, a bit embarrassed. "How can you remember everything, with all the names, dates and events? Don't you find it all somewhat boring?"

"No, actually," Kurama replied, "I find them quite fascinating and intriguing." _And it's more of a flashback for me, really,_ he added in his head. "I've always loved literature, especially ancient folklore and mythology."

"Yeah, I guess some of the stuff is really interesting," Satoshi admitted. "I really liked the stories in Saiyuki."

Kurama simply nodded, not really paying that much attention to the conversation anymore.

"Hey, I hear that the monk in that story actually existed," said Satoshi. "Can you imagine a monk so religious and dutiful as to actually travel so far for some scriptures?"

The redhead let his mind wander back to the times when he was still a youko. Kurama tried to picture Sanzo, who was holding a gun and smoking a cigarette, and the words "religious and dutiful" together. The image almost had Kurama rolling on the floor with laughter. Fortunately, the reincarnated youko had enough self-restraint to just laugh softly.

"What's so funny, Minamino-kun?" his classmate asked with a slightly puzzled look.

"Oh, nothing," Kurama answered, "I just remembered a joke a friend of mine told me a long time ago." He shook his head to dispel the image from his mind. "Anyway, I don't think the real monk was quite as pious as he was described in the stories."

Satoshi laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess not. I doubt he was a perfect Buddhist priest."

_If you only knew,_ Kurama thought, _If you only knew._

**- End -**

* * *

Quick note about the last chapter. A lot of people complained that the final battle was too quick and too rushed (I probably would've, too, if I was a reader) but I did have my reasons. Aside from main antagonists such as Homura, Kami-sama and Hazel, the Sanzo-ikkou have always defeated their enemies within one episode, usually within a few minutes. Something like a pride of low-level, drunken lion demons would really not take them long to kill. The pride would also provide no trouble whatsoever to a Makai demon like Kurama. The battle was quick because I wanted to keep the power differences realistic. Sorry if I disappointed. 

I thought this epilogue would be a fun, light-hearted way to end the whole thing. It could also serve as a lead-in for a sequel, if I decide to write one. If there is a sequel, though, it'd be in the YYH world, meaning modern-day Japan and such.

I'm really tempted... I don't have the time to be tempted.


End file.
